Parabilis Medicines Names Fawzi Benzaghou Chief Medical Officer

Parabilis Medicines, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, appointed Fawzi Benzaghou, M.D., as the company’s Chief Medical Officer. Benzaghou is a seasoned oncology leader with deep industry and regulatory experience spanning all stages of global drug development, from early-stage discovery and clinical development through regulatory approval and commercialization.

As the company’s Chief Medical Officer, Benzaghou will shape the overall clinical and regulatory strategy and operations for Parabilis, advancing a pipeline of promising investigational therapies for rare and common cancers. 

Benzaghou will also oversee the development of the company’s broader pipeline, including a targeted protein degrader of ERG and a selective degrader of active androgen receptor (AR), which could provide meaningful and differentiated therapeutic approaches for patients with prostate cancer and other malignancies. 

The company’s portfolio is enabled by its proprietary Helicon platform – a new class of stabilized, cell-penetrant alpha-helical peptides designed to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions that traditional modalities cannot effectively engage.

He joins as Parabilis prepares for the first in a series of data disclosures, beginning at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, for its lead program, FOG-001 – the first direct inhibitor of β-cateninTCF4. 

Benzaghou most recently served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Oncology R&D at Ipsen. Under his leadership, the company achieved major milestones, including numerous IND submissions and several significant regulatory approvals, including Cabometyx (cabozantinib) across several solid tumor types (renal, hepatic, thyroid, and neuroendocrine indications), as well as Onivyde (Irinotecan liposome) in pancreatic cancer. 

He previously held senior global roles at Ipsen, including Vice President of Late-Stage Oncology, Vice President of Innovation Oncology, and Global Asset Lead for various oncology products. Before joining Ipsen in 2016, Benzaghou was Head of Development at a Europe-based clinical-stage biotech focused on oncology therapies, notably leading the successful European approval of a prostate cancer therapy.

Benzaghou commented, “The opportunity to lead clinical development for a pipeline targeting some of the most intractable drivers of cancer – with a modality purpose-built to address them – is both rare and compelling. I’ve been deeply impressed by the scientific rigor and patient-centered mindset at Parabilis and look forward to helping to advance the company’s bold mission and deliver meaningful impact for patients in need.”