NOVATEK PHARMACEUTICALS
WHO WE ARE
Unmet Medical Need
Who we are
Novatek Pharmaceuticals Inc., was formed based on years of experience with N.Sativa in oncology patients combined with recent publications suggesting that N.Sativa may also have potential in many other indications including Sars-CoV2. Recently evolving a naturally derived proprietary drug NP-101 as an effective anti-viral due to therapeutic properties of N.Sativa and its associated esters. This team of clinically trained professionals have extensive experience in pharmacology, oncology, and clinical research.
We are a company that focuses on the potentially beneficial roles of NP-101 against cancer pathophysiology in the context of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, epigenetic modulation, antiviral activity, docking studies on anti-COVID-19 activity, antibacterial and anticoagulant effects for the treatment of infectious diseases.
Founder
Dr. Ahmed Kaseb is physician and clinical investigator with 25 years of experience in medical research field. He is currently Professor and liver cancer program director at University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, TX. He is a member of the US national Liver Cancer Task Force, NCI. He has >200 publications and book chapters, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, 2020 IF: 5.8. He currently serves as clinical Principal Investigator and Director of the only HCC SPORE NIH grant. He served on multiple national and international scientific cancer panels and global studies steering committees, in addition to serving on several NIH/NCI and DOD study sections as a member and as a chair. He is the co-founder of HCC national US epidemiology consortium. His expertise in clinical trials and regulatory drug approvals spans from first-in-human trials to phase 1, 2, 3 that led to FDA approvals.
Dr.Ahmed Kaseb is a Co-founder of the Kaseb Foundation and is actively involved in and supportive of multiple charities, specifically those that help needy children, orphans and fighting poverty.
Dr. Ahmed Kaseb
Dr. Ahmed Kaseb
Founder
Dr. Ahmed Kaseb is physician and clinical investigator with 25 years of experience in medical research field. He is currently Professor and liver cancer program director at University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, TX. He is a member of the US national Liver Cancer Task Force, NCI. He has >200 publications and book chapters, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, 2020 IF: 5.8. He currently serves as clinical Principal Investigator and Director of the only HCC SPORE NIH grant. He served on multiple national and international scientific cancer panels and global studies steering committees, in addition to serving on several NIH/NCI and DOD study sections as a member and as a chair. He is the co-founder of HCC national US epidemiology consortium. His expertise in clinical trials and regulatory drug approvals spans from first-in-human trials to phase 1, 2, 3 that led to FDA approvals.
CEO, PRESIDENT and COFOUNDER
With over 28 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Mr. Kaseb brings a wide range of values in the areas of patient services, commercial strategies, sales, marketing and pharmacy operations. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kasseb uses strategy and innovation to drive business.
Mr. Kaseb has worked numerous roles throughout his 28 years of professional pharmaceutical career, including: serving as a team member of an international pharmaceutical company developing and expanding their business development strategy, as well as in-patient clinical hospital experience at Oakwood hospital in the State of Michigan, as well as holding multiple managerial positions at both CVS Health and Walgreens for over a decade.
Mr. Kaseb is a registered pharmacist and holds a B.Sc. degree from Cairo University, Egypt and became a registered pharmacist in 1997. He passed his Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam in 2000 and became a registered pharmacist in State of Michigan, and later a registered pharmacist and a resident in the State of Texas in 2009.
Mr. Kaseb is passionate about leading, coaching, mentoring, and developing successful teams. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and is currently the President and Co-founder of the Kaseb Foundation and is actively involved in and supportive of multiple charities, specifically those that help needy children, orphans and fighting poverty.
Mohamed Kaseb, RPh
Mohamed Kaseb, RPh
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
With over 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Mr. Kaseb brings a wide range of values in the areas of patient services, commercial strategies, sales, marketing and pharmacy operations. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kasseb uses strategy and innovation to drive business.
Mr. Kaseb has worked numerous roles throughout his 22 years of professional pharmaceutical career, including: serving as a team member of an international pharmaceutical company developing and expanding their business development strategy, as well as in-patient clinical hospital experience at Oakwood hospital in the State of Michigan, as well as holding multiple managerial positions at both CVS Health and Walgreens for over a decade.
Mr. Kaseb is a registered pharmacist and holds a B.Sc. degree from Cairo University, Egypt and became a registered pharmacist in 1997. He passed his Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam in 2000 and became a registered pharmacist in State of Michigan, and later a registered pharmacist and a resident in the State of Texas in 2009.
Mr. Kaseb is passionate about leading, coaching, mentoring, and developing successful teams. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and is currently the President and Co-founder of the Kaseb Foundation and is actively involved in and supportive of multiple charities, specifically those that help needy children, orphans and fighting poverty.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, COFOUNDER
As Chief Operation Officer, Mr. Osama Kasseb is responsible for translating Novatek Pharmaceutical’s vision into achievable goals by leading the execution of short- and long-term growth strategies to meet company goals. He inspires engagement, participation and commitment from various stakeholders in order to accomplish meaningful goals.
Mr. Osama Kasseb received his Bachelor of Pharmacy from Misr International University, in Cairo, Egypt in 2007. Completing his Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Committee Certification in 2008, and became a licensed and registered pharmacist in both Texas and Michigan in 2009 and quickly identified his love for independent community pharmacy.
Mr. Kasseb has completed multiple educational trainings to expand his knowledge and expertise in various pharmacy sectors including the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA)’s Educational Training to specialize in compounding and hormonal replacement therapies in 2012.
Mr. Kasseb has 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry and served in many leadership capacities, including President of Pharmacy Management Services in Houston, where he established business coaching to over 8 independent pharmacies. Under Mr. Kasseb’s leadership and coaching, his pharmacies saw solid topline growth and expanded their services to help more patients access prescription medications. Mr. Kasseb is proud to hold multiple accreditations in his facilities including Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) that administers the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) and Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA). Osama is a Co-founder of the Kaseb Foundation and is actively involved in and supportive of multiple charities, specifically those that help needy children, orphans and fighting poverty. Mr. Kasseb lives in Pearland, TX with his wife Dalia Kasseb, who is a clinical pharmacist, and their sons Hussein & Taha.
Osama Kasseb, RPh
Osama Kasseb, RPh
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
As Chief Operation Officer, Mr. Osama Kasseb is responsible for translating Novatek Pharmaceutical’s vision into achievable goals by leading the execution of short- and long-term growth strategies to meet company goals. He inspires engagement, participation and commitment from various stakeholders in order to accomplish meaningful goals.
Mr. Osama Kasseb received his Bachelor of Pharmacy from Misr International University, in Cairo, Egypt in 2007. Completing his Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Committee Certification in 2008, and became a licensed and registered pharmacist in both Texas and Michigan in 2009 and quickly identified his love for independent community pharmacy.
Mr. Kasseb has completed multiple educational trainings to expand his knowledge and expertise in various pharmacy sectors including the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA)’s Educational Training to specialize in compounding and hormonal replacement therapies in 2012.
Mr. Kasseb has served in many leadership capacities, including President of Pharmacy Management Services in Houston, where he established business coaching to over 8 independent pharmacies. Under Mr. Kasseb’s leadership and coaching, his pharmacies saw solid topline growth and expanded their services to help more patients access prescription medications. Mr. Kasseb is proud to hold multiple accreditations in his facilities including Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) that administers the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) and Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA). Osama is a Co-founder of the Kaseb Foundation and is actively involved in and supportive of multiple charities, specifically those that help needy children, orphans and fighting poverty. Mr. Kasseb lives in Pearland, TX with his wife Dalia Kasseb, who is a clinical pharmacist, and their sons Hussein & Taha.
Michelle Gocio
VP of Operations and Drug Development
Michelle York Gocio, Vice President of Operations and Drug Development, is a seasoned veteran of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, having served 36 years in full scale development. Beginning her clinical research career in the neurosciences while still in college, Gocio gradually expanded her interests and conducted trials in a wide variety of therapeutic indications, including pain, cancer pain, oncology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, surgery, and antibiotic therapies. Her early work in the field of learning differences and ADD/ADHD is published in The Journal of Learning Disabilities. During her career, Gocio has served in all roles, CRA through Vice President, and all phases of the development process, I-IV, prior to assuming her current role.
Ms.Gocio attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Additionally, Gocio has achieved certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt through the American Society of Quality. She has expanded the use of these engineering principles to drug development process to ensure operational excellence at Novatek Pharmaceuticals.
VP of Operations and Drug Development
Michelle York Gocio, Vice President of Operations and Drug Development, is a seasoned veteran of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, having served 38 years in full scale development. Beginning her clinical research career in the neurosciences while still in college, Gocio gradually expanded her interests and conducted trials in a wide variety of therapeutic indications, including pain, cancer pain, oncology, rare disease, infectious disease, gene therapy, ophthalmology, surgery, and antibiotic therapies. Her early work in the field of learning differences and ADD/ADHD is published in The Journal of Learning Disabilities. During her career, Gocio has served in all roles, CRA through Vice President, and all phases of the development process, I-IV, prior to assuming her current role.
Ms.Gocio attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Additionally, Gocio has achieved certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt through the American Society of Quality. She has expanded the use of these engineering principles to the drug development process to ensure operational excellence at Novatek Pharmaceuticals
Michelle Gocio
Chief Scientific Officer
Hafez Selim, MD, PhD, is a renowned Chief Scientific Officer known for his expertise in bioinformatics, cell biology, molecular biology, peptides, recombinant proteins, biologics, and applied biomedical statistics. His notable achievements include leading the safety analysis of the COVID-19 vaccine at AstraZeneca and spearheading innovations at Medtronic.
Dr. Selim’s work has resulted in 5 granted patents and 10 pending patents, demonstrating his inventive contributions to medical science. He has also developed breakthrough products such as Vitynex and Fortigen, which have shown promise in tissue regeneration. Furthermore, his extensive publication record and mentorship roles highlight his dedication to advancing healthcare and nurturing future professionals. Dr. Selim’s multidisciplinary expertise and leadership have had a significant impact on medical research and patient care.
Hafez Selim
Chief Legal Officer
Peter Tu is the Founding Partner of the Law Offices of Peter Tu, where his practice focuses on intellectual property law (patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets), licensing and other transactional matters, and dispute resolution (litigation, arbitration and mediation). While Mr. Tu has represented clients both large and small, his in-house experience at various life sciences start-ups and his innovative alternative fee arrangements (such as the GC On Call and IP Counsel On Call programs) have been of greatest benefit to start-ups and emerging growth companies without in-house legal counsel.
Prior to forming his law firm, Mr. Tu spent twenty years as in-house counsel in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. His last in-house position was as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for Signum Biosciences, a private biotechnology company focusing on the development of novel, small-molecule therapeutics to modulate signal transduction imbalances; in that capacity, Mr. Tu headed up the legal function for Signum and its subsidiaries, and was a member of Signum’s executive management team.
In 2002, Mr. Tu was selected by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association as one of the Best Lawyers Under 40 in the United States. Only twenty-five attorneys throughout the country were selected to receive this prestigious designation and award.
Peter Tu
Peter Tu
Chief Legal Officer
Peter Tu is the Founding Partner of the Law Offices of Peter Tu, where his practice focuses on intellectual property law (patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets), licensing and other transactional matters, and dispute resolution (litigation, arbitration and mediation). While Mr. Tu has represented clients both large and small, his in-house experience at various life sciences start-ups and his innovative alternative fee arrangements (such as the GC On Call and IP Counsel On Call programs) have been of greatest benefit to start-ups and emerging growth companies without in-house legal counsel.
Prior to forming his law firm, Mr. Tu spent twenty years as in-house counsel in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. His last in-house position was as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for Signum Biosciences, a private biotechnology company focusing on the development of novel, small-molecule therapeutics to modulate signal transduction imbalances; in that capacity, Mr. Tu headed up the legal function for Signum and its subsidiaries, and was a member of Signum’s executive management team.
In 2002, Mr. Tu was selected by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association as one of the Best Lawyers Under 40 in the United States. Only twenty-five attorneys throughout the country were selected to receive this prestigious designation and award.
Chief Financial Officer
Alex Saliba is an innovative and driven accounting professional with over 25 years of financial and accounting experience. That experience includes working in a CFO and Controllership capacities that involved innovative accounting solutions from start-up environments to multi-million publicly traded companies.
Responsibilities ranged from setting up opening balances to financial modeling, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, desktop procedures, revenue recognitions, acquisitions and mergers including proper asset valuations, variance analysis, treasury management, consolidations and financial statement preparations. Over the past 5 years Alex worked in a CFO capacity for one of the largest independent pharmacy owners in the state of Texas. He has extensive experience within the pharmacy industry working with the PSAO’s, PBM’s and wholesalers to ensure maximum reimbursement on adjudicated claims.
Alex Saliba
Alex Saliba
Chief Financial Officer
Alex Saliba is an innovative and driven accounting professional with over 25 years of financial and accounting experience. That experience includes working in a CFO and Controllership capacities that involved innovative accounting solutions from start-up environments to multi-million publicly traded companies.
Responsibilities ranged from setting up opening balances to financial modeling, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, desktop procedures, revenue recognitions, acquisitions and mergers including proper asset valuations, variance analysis, treasury management, consolidations and financial statement preparations. Over the past 5 years Alex worked in a CFO capacity for one of the largest independent pharmacy owners in the state of Texas. He has extensive experience within the pharmacy industry working with the PSAO’s, PBM’s and wholesalers to ensure maximum reimbursement on adjudicated claims.
VP OF STATISTICS
Dr. Mehmet Kocak earned his MSc degree in applied statistics from Michigan State University and a PhD in applied statistics from the University of Memphis. He has been a study biostatistician for numerous Phase-I and Phase-II brain tumor clinical trials conducted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital from 2002-2011 and by Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC) from 2002-2021. He joined the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in 2011 and supported clinical and observational studies conducted by UTHSC. Since 2021, he is serving as the professor of Biostatistics in the International School of Medicine at Istanbul Medipol University and he is the chair of the department of biostatistics and medical informatics and the director of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Analysis Unit. His areas of research have been time-course gene expression data analysis, meta-analysis of p-values, Phase-I/II clinical trial design, Survival analysis, and categorical data analysis. He is an expert in the SAS programming language as well as Statistical Simulations and Graphics.
Dr. Mehmet Kocak
Dr. Mehmet Kocak
VP OF STATISTICS
Dr. Mehmet Kocak earned his MSc degree in applied statistics from Michigan State University and a PhD in applied statistics from the University of Memphis. He has been a study biostatistician for numerous Phase-I and Phase-II clinical trials conducted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital from 2002-2011 and by Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC) from 2002-present, and for clinical and observational studies conducted by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) since 2011. His areas of research have been time-course gene expression data analysis, meta-analysis of p-values, Phase-I clinical trial design, Survival analysis, and categorical data analysis. He is an expert in the SAS programming language as well as Statistical Graphics