RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- G1 Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:GTHX), a clinical-stage oncology company, today announced that Cynthia Schwalm and Willie Deese have been appointed to its board of directors, effective June 7, 2018.

“We are pleased to welcome Cynthia and Willie as new independent directors to our board. Cynthia’s expertise in commercialization and Willie’s experience in operations broadens the board’s knowledge base and will enhance our efforts to develop and commercialize novel therapeutics that may benefit people living with cancer,” said Mark Velleca, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Schwalm most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ipsen North America. Prior to joining Ipsen, she held several senior commercial leadership positions at Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson.

Mr. Deese previously served as President of the Merck Manufacturing Division and a member of the Merck Executive Committee before retiring in 2016. Prior to his roles at Merck, Mr. Deese held operational leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline, SmithKline Beecham and Kaiser Permanente.

Ms. Schwalm and Mr. Deese will fill board seats previously held by Christy Schaffer, Ph.D. and Tyrell Rivers, Ph.D., who have stepped down from the board following the expiration of their respective terms in June of this year.

“Christy and Tyrell provided invaluable counsel as we matured from a small, venture-backed startup with promising preclinical research to a publicly traded company that is now advancing multiple clinical-stage programs,” said Dr. Velleca. “We thank them for their contributions to our growth.”

About G1 Therapeutics
G1 Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Two of the company’s pipeline assets, trilaciclib and G1T38, are CDK4/6 inhibitors, a validated and promising class of oncology therapeutics. Trilaciclib and G1T38 have broad therapeutic potential in many forms of cancer and may serve as backbone therapy of multiple combination regimens. Trilaciclib is a short-acting IV CDK4/6 inhibitor designed to preserve hematopoietic stem cell and immune system function (myelopreservation) during chemotherapy. G1T38 is a potential best-in-class oral CDK4/6 inhibitor for use in combination with other targeted therapies. G1 is also advancing G1T48, a potential best-in-class oral selective estrogen receptor degrader, or SERD, which is targeted for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer.

G1 is based in Research Triangle Park, NC. For additional information, please visit www.g1therapeutics.com and follow us on Twitter @G1Therapeutics.