iX Biopharma was formed in Singapore in 2008, when we acquired intellectual property rights of a formulation for a fentanyl citrate nasal spray for patient-controlled analgesia.
Our Company’s founder, Chairman and CEO, Mr Eddy Lee, then recruited a team of scientists with more than 100 years of expertise in drug development between them, to undertake research in the development of an innovative drug delivery system. This would enable the drugs to be delivered safely, with improved efficacy, ease of use and rate of absorption over existing drug delivery platforms and routes of administration.
Today, iX Biopharma is a Singapore public-listed specialty pharmaceutical company with a keen focus on the development and commercialisation of innovative therapies that improve the quality of life for those suffering from pain and other health conditions.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Eddy Lee was appointed to the Board on 17 January 2008 and is a member of the Nominating Committee. As Group Chairman & CEO, he is responsible for the development and execution of the Group’s strategic vision and expansion plans.
Eddy possesses more than 25 years of international business experience, having worked as Senior Vice President of Resorts World (Genting Group) in Malaysia, Chief Executive of CDL Hotels International Limited (Hong Leong Group) in Hong Kong, President & Chief Executive of Star Cruises PLC (Genting Group) in Singapore and more recently, as Managing Director & Chief Executive of Amcom Telecommunications Limited in Australia.
Eddy is highly regarded as a professional start-up specialist with a very impressive track record in developing companies that have experienced outstanding brand recognition and tremendous growth. He was involved in the successful start-ups of the Burswood Resort Hotel in Perth and Star Cruises PLC in Singapore, and is perhaps best known for successfully introducing, developing and transforming the cruise industry in Asia into a multi-million dollar business today.
Eddy holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Curtin University.
Non-Executive Director
Albert Ho was appointed to the Board on 1 March 2013 and serves as the Chairperson of the Risk Management Committee, and a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees.
Albert is currently a director of Centrum Capital, an investment and asset management firm. He has previously worked at various international banks and multinational corporations and has more than 25 years’ experience in cross border mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, finance, and investment banking in Asia. He was formerly a Councillor of CPA Australia’s Singapore Division and its Deputy Chairman of the Corporate-SME Committee.
Albert holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Australian National University and is a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant with CPA Australia.
Lead Independent Director
Patrick Davies was appointed to the Board on 2 December 2019 and serves as the Lead Independent Director, the Chairperson of Remuneration Committee, and a member of Audit and Nominating Committees. Mr. Davies is the Non-Executive Chairman of Neuren Pharmaceuticals Limited listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Mr. Davies has held executive management roles in the Australian and New Zealand healthcare industry for over twenty-five years having performed successfully in senior roles across many industry sectors including pharmacy, primary care, pharmaceutical and consumer products. During his ten year period as Chief Executive Officer of EBOS Group Limited (and previously Symbion), the enterprise value of the group achieved compound annual growth in enterprise value of +20% (from circa A$450M to in excess of A$3.1B). He is also a director on other non-listed corporate boards and provides strategic advice to a range of healthcare businesses and investors.
Mr. Davies holds Bachelor of Economics from University of Adelaide and Master of Business Administration from Australian Graduate School of Management.
Non-Executive Independent Director
Angeline Tham was appointed to the Board on 1 February 2022 and serves as a Non-Executive Independent Director and the Chairperson of Nominating Committee, and a member of the Audit and Risk Management Committees.
Ms Tham has 17 years of investment strategy, technology, and entrepreneurship experience. She is the founder of Philippines’ leading motorcycle ride-hailing application, Angkas, which is known for its social impact and for revolutionising the way motorcycles are perceived in the Philippines. She has also held positions in SoftBank China & India Holdings, a SoftBank affiliated fund, and JP Morgan Chase Singapore, evaluating investment opportunities. She is a graduate of New York University Stern School of Business.
Ms Tham holds a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University, Stern School of Business.
Independent Non-Executive Director
John Teo was appointed to the Board of the Company on 7 November 2022 and serves as the Chairperson of the Audit Committee, and a member of the Remuneration and Risk Management Committees.
He has over 30 years of professional experience in finance, audit, and risk management across different industries. He had held senior management positions in several large organizations, namely, as Chief Financial Officer of Singapore Pools Pte Ltd, Managing Director of Finance of Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd, Chief Financial Officer of National University Hospital and audit manager of Price Waterhouse Singapore. He is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of China International Holdings Ltd, and Executive Director of Asia Pacific Lottery Association Ltd.
John is a Fellow of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours) degree from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wales.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Eddy Lee was appointed to the Board on 17 January 2008 and is a member of the Nominating Committee. As Group Chairman & CEO, he is responsible for the development and execution of the Group’s strategic vision and expansion plans.
Eddy possesses more than 25 years of international business experience, having worked as Senior Vice President of Resorts World (Genting Group) in Malaysia, Chief Executive of CDL Hotels International Limited (Hong Leong Group) in Hong Kong, President & Chief Executive of Star Cruises PLC (Genting Group) in Singapore and more recently, as Managing Director & Chief Executive of Amcom Telecommunications Limited in Australia.
Eddy is highly regarded as a professional start-up specialist with a very impressive track record in developing companies that have experienced outstanding brand recognition and tremendous growth. He was involved in the successful start-ups of the Burswood Resort Hotel in Perth and Star Cruises PLC in Singapore, and is perhaps best known for successfully introducing, developing and transforming the cruise industry in Asia into a multi-million dollar business today.
Eddy holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Curtin University.
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Medical Officer
Dr Janakan Krishnarajah joined iX Biopharma as Chief Medical Officer in April 2016 and was subsequently designated as Chief Operating Officer on 1 April 2019. As Chief Operating Officer and Chief Medical Officer, he is responsible for iX Biopharma’s pharmaceutical and nutraceutical product development, including the design and implementation of clinical trial programmes. He also oversees the operations of the Group’s wholly-owned certified GMP manufacturing facility in Australia.
Prior to joining iX, Dr Krishnarajah was the CEO and Medical Director of Linear Clinical Research Ltd, a leading Australian early phase clinical trials facility. He has extensive experience in phase I-IV clinical trials and has acted as Principal or Co-Investigator in over 100 Phase I/II clinical trials.
Dr. Krishnarajah graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Hons) from The University of Western Australia in 2001. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Specialist in Clinical Pharmacology and Internal Medicine previously having worked as a Consultant Physician in Western Australia. He is also a member of Longevity Docs, an exclusive community dedicated to physicians pioneering precision and evidence-based practices in longevity medicine.
Chief Commercial Officer
As the Chief Commercial Officer, Eva Tan is responsible for the development and execution of the Group’s global commercial strategies across all segments.
Prior to joining iX, Eva was a corporate lawyer at Wong Partnership, a leading law firm in Singapore, where she specialised in the capital markets practice. Eva was involved in numerous local and international IPOs, including the listing of iX Biopharma Ltd on the SGX Catalist in 2015. She has also had extensive experience advising on a broad range of local and cross border mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions.
Eva obtained her LLB from the National University of Singapore and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2008.
Chief Financial Officer
Chew Sien Lup joined iX Biopharma in April 2016. As Chief Financial Officer, Sien Lup oversees the accounting, financial, taxation, investment and other financial matters of the iX Group.
Sien Lup has over 20 years of experience holding senior positions responsible for accounting, audit and treasury matters. He spent more than 9 years with an international public accounting firm serving a variety of clients including those in the energy, utilities and high tech industries. Prior to joining iX, he also served as CFO for Singapore eDevelopment Limited and Metech International Limited, both listed on SGX-ST.
Sien Lup graduated from Monash University, Australia in 1988 with a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) Hons. He has been a Certified Practising Accountant of CPA Australia since 1993.
Chief Scientist
Dr Iain Cook has more than 30 years of experience in the analysis of complex pharmaceutical and biological samples, with a background in pharmaceutical, veterinary, industrial and agrichemical industries.
Prior to his appointment as Chief Scientist at iX Biopharma, Iain was the director of Chemical Analysis Pty Ltd. He also served as analytical chemist at ICI/Orica, where he specialised in nuclear magnetic resonance and led its Spectroscopy Group (NMR/FTIR/SEM-EDXA/NIR), and at PROBE Analytical thereafter.
Iain obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Synthetic Organic Chemistry from La Trobe University.
Chief Pharmacist
Dr Stephen Lim is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Pharmacy at Curtin University and has more than 35 years experience in the hospital and commercial pharmacy sectors. His interest is mainly in research, drug safety and drug delivery, especially in the area of needle-less systems.
Dr Lim is also an expert in drug storage and extending the shelf-life of medication. He completed his Master thesis by looking at drug stability in the frozen state and has shown that intranasal fentanyl delivery is as effective as intravenous fentanyl.
Dr Lim obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy (with distinctions), a Master of Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Pharmacy in novel, drug delivery system from Curtin University.
Dr Bob Rappaport joined the neurology division at US FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in 1994, where he spent a few years developing expertise in drug regulatory science, drug product development, and clinical trial design and analysis. He was promoted to Deputy Division Director of the FDA Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction Products in 1998. In 2002, he was appointed Director of the same Division, where he remained until his retirement in October 2014.
Throughout his tenure, he was an advocate for the development of novel analgesic, anesthetic and addiction drug products, and instituted new standards for the study of these drugs. Dr Rappaport was also a key player in the FDA’s continued efforts to encourage and assist the development of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations, and oversaw the updated guidance on the development of analgesic drug products.
In 2013, Dr Rappaport received FDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in advancing the fields of anesthesia, analgesia and addiction. In May 2015, he received the 2015 John and Emma Bonica Public Service Award from the American Pain Society, which recognises distinguished contributions to the field of pain through public services or other efforts that further knowledge about pain.
Dr Rappaport completed his medical training at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and is board certified in neurology and sleep medicine.
Dr. Kennedy is a Distinguished Professor in the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology. He is the Director of the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme in NUS and Director of the Centre For Healthy Longevity, National University Health System (NUHS). Prior to this, he was the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and he maintained a professorship there through 2020. He served as the Co-Editor-In-Chief at the journal Aging Cell from 2011 to 2021.
Dr. Kennedy is widely recognized for his contributions in the biology of aging and as a visionary committed to translating research discoveries into new ways to delay, detect and prevent human aging and its associated diseases. With a plethora of widely-cited research papers on aging and longevity under his belt, he is regarded as an expert in the science of gerontology.
Professor Stephan Schug is currently Professor and Chair of Anaesthesiology in the School of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Western Australia and Director of Pain Medicine at the Royal Perth Hospital, Australia. He also maintains a position as Honorary Professor of Anaesthesiology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Prof Schug studied Medicine at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he also obtained his MD by thesis in clinical pharmacology and subsequently specialised in anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
Very early in his career, he focussed his clinical and research interests on the treatment of patients in pain.
In Prof Schug’s current position as Director of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine of Royal Perth Hospital, his clinical responsibilities include running of a Comprehensive Inpatient Pain Service at two sites of this hospital as well as a multi-disciplinary Pain Medicine Centre, which is accredited for training by the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
Dr Yandi Liu has been working in pharmaceutical research areas for more than 30 years and has accumulated a wealth of expertise from both industry and university laboratories.
His research interests include controlled drug delivery systems, pharmacology and toxicology of natural products, mass spectrometry of bioactive molecules, analytical and structure biochemistry.
Dr Liu has a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) from Henan University, China (1986), and obtained his PhD from Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. He is currently an honorary Research Fellow with the School of Pharmacy at Curtin University.
