Impact Biomedicines recently made headlines in the MPN world and beyond with their push of Fedratinib, which was sold to Celgene who will further develop it for Myelofibrosis. This week they found another way to give back by making their company goodbye party into a fundraiser for MPN Research Foundation and MPN Advocacy and Education, International. Impact Biomedicines leaders Charlie McDermott (President and CBO), John Hood (CEO and one of the inventors of the drug) and Gerrica Clark (Operations Manager) got together to make the event – a concert featuring the Gin Blossoms which took place Monday at iconic rock club Belly Up in San Diego – happen on barely a month’s notice.
Sponsors Medixci, Latham and Watkins and PJT Partners made the event possible and helped to raise collectively over $350,000 for our two organizations! In addition to putting Fedratinib back on the map as a possibility for patients who fail Ruxolitinib, they have made a meaningful contribution to the pursuit of better education, connectivity and research for MPN patients. There is much work to be done, even after the approval of Fedratinib and these funds will go to good use.