Pacific Edge Appoints Dr Peter Meintjes as its new CEO
Company Announcement
29 October 2021
PACIFIC EDGE APPOINTS DR PETER MEINTJES AS ITS NEW CEO
Cancer diagnostics company Pacific Edge (NZX: PEB, ASX: PEB) today announces the appointment of Dr Peter
Meintjes, an experienced molecular diagnostics and genomics business leader, as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Dr Meintjes, a New Zealand citizen currently resident in Boston, brings to Pacific Edge extensive global diagnostics,
biotechnology, and commercial leadership expertise. He also has a track record for commercialising new and
disruptive biotechnologies and driving rapid business growth across multiple territories including the US and
Europe.
He will take up the role on 10 January 2022 replacing Executive Director and Chief Executive David Darling, who
announced his retirement in April 2021 and will step down from the CEO role and the Board of Direcrors on the
10
th
of January and continue as a consultant to the company.
Dr Meintjes’ most recent role was Chief Commercial Officer at the Massachusetts-based Eurofins-Transplant
Genomics, a transplant diagnostics company. In that role he led the commercialisation of the company’s suite of
tests for biomarkers of organ rejection, including the flagship product TruGraf®, the only biomarker test for kidney
transplant recipients approved for reimbursement by US national health insurance system administrator, the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Prior to Eurofins-Transplant Genomics he spent six years with the Budapest, Hungary-based Omixon, a global
molecular diagnostics company focussed on pre-transplant organ and recipient compatibility testing. With Omixon,
he occupied senior roles in both Hungary and the US, ending his tenure after three years as Chief Executive Officer.
In that role he presided over the rapid expansion of Omixon, including delivering compound annual revenue growth
of more than 75%.
Dr Meintjes started his business career in New Zealand with the Auckland-based Biomatters, a bio-informatics
company, after completing undergraduate and graduate study at Auckland University culminating in him gaining a
PhD in biological sciences in 2008.
Pacific Edge Chairman Chris Gallaher said: “We are delighted Peter has agreed to join Pacific Edge. He is an
outstanding business leader and scientist. He brings to our company a broad experience of global healthcare
markets and has direct experience with the molecular diagnostics sectors that are relevant to Pacific Edge and our
suite of Cxbladder products.
“We are particularly pleased to have been able to attract back to New Zealand, and to Dunedin, a New Zealander
who has built an impressive international track record in molecular diagnostics and who has succeeded in the highly
competitive US market.”
Dr Meintjes said: “I am excited and delighted to be joining Pacific Edge and returning to New Zealand after a long
period working overseas. The company is exceptionally well positioned to drive growth in shareholder value and,
importantly, improved health outcomes for urothelial cancer patients around the world.
“The Cxbladder suite of tests offers patients, clinicians, healthcare providers and funders accurate, reliable, cost-
effective, non-invasive urothelial cancer diagnostic tools. The efficacy and benefits of the tests are supported by an
extensive and growing body of high-quality peer-reviewed clinical evidence.
“Pacific Edge has, over the last decade, made enormous strides putting in the foundations to commercialise
Cxbladder tests globally. Cxbladder’s annual addressable opportunity of US$3.5 billion in the US is significant, while
international markets such as Australia and Southeast Asia provide additional opportunities for Pacific Edge to grow
globally.
Company Announcement
29 October 2021
“This potential is underpinned by the company’s strong operational capabilities including its laboratories in the US
and New Zealand, its growing sales and marketing team, and its strong and productive research and development
capabilities and collaborations both in New Zealand and around the world.
“Finally, with the success of the company’s recent capital raise, Pacific Edge has the funding to accelerate the
execution of these opportunities. The challenge before the company is now to continue to build on the adoption
of Cxbladder among physicians, healthcare providers and payers around the world.
“I am looking forward to engaging with the Pacific Edge team, its customers and the loyal investors who have
underwritten the achievements of the past few years. I am also looking forward to returning home to New Zealand,
being close to family and introducing my young family to the great Kiwi lifestyle.”
Mr Gallaher also acknowledged the commitment and achievements of outgoing Chief Executive David Darling
during his 19-years at the company.
“Under Dave’s leadership Pacific Edge has grown from a research concept to a fully-fledged commercial entity that
is not only poised for growth in multiple international markets but also offers cancer patients around the world less
invasive diagnostic alternatives. This success is due in no small measure to Dave’s drive and his vision. He leaves
Pacific Edge in a strong position to take the next steps on its commercial journey.”
Images of Dr Meintjes can be downloaded from the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0o281zvzy017jfj/Peter%20Meintjes%201.jpeg?dl=0
For more information contact: Chris Gallaher Chairman, Pacific Edge Ltd P: +61 417 556 691
For media assistance, please contact: Jackie Ellis, P: +64 27 246 2505 E: jackie@ellisandco.co.nz
OVERVIEW www.pacificedge.co.nz www.pacificedgedx.com
Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) is a New Zealand publicly listed, cancer diagnostic company specialising in the discovery and
commercialisation of diagnostic and prognostic tests for better detection and management of cancer. Its Cxbladder suite of
non-invasive, simple to use and accurate diagnostic tests provide actionable results, and better detection and management of
urothelial cancer. The company is developing and commercialising its range of Cxbladder bladder cancer tests globally through
its wholly owned central laboratories in New Zealand and the USA. The company’s products have been tested and validated in
international multi-centre clinical studies.
ABOUT Cxbladder Triage www.cxbladder.com
Cxbladder Triage combines the power of the genomic biomarkers with additional phenotypic and clinical risk factors to
accurately identify patients with haematuria who have a low probability of bladder cancer and may not require a more
extensive urological evaluation. Cxbladder Triage is a tool for use by clinicians and physicians in primary evaluation of patients
with haematuria and is intended to reduce the need for an expensive and invasive work-up in patients who have a low
probability of having urothelial carcinoma.
ABOUT Cxbladder Detect www.cxbladder.com
Cxbladder Detect enables the non-invasive detection of bladder and other urinary tract cancers from a small volume of a
patients’ urine. Cxbladder Detect provides clinicians with a quick, cost effective and accurate measure of the presence of the
cancer as an effective adjunct to cystoscopy.
ABOUT Cxbladder Monitor www.cxbladder.com
Cxbladder Monitor allows urologists to monitor bladder cancer patients for recurrence of the disease. Bladder cancer has a
recurrence rate of 50-80% and requires life-long surveillance. Cxbladder Monitor accurately identifies patients with a prior
history of urothelial cancer (UC) whose Cxbladder Monitor score shows that they have a low probability of recurrent urothelial
carcinoma. Cxbladder Monitor is designed to be used as the preferred adjunct test to cystoscopy in the management of patients
for ongoing evaluation of recurrent bladder cancer.
Company Announcement
29 October 2021
ABOUT Cxbladder Resolve www.cxbladder.com
Cxbladder Resolve identifies those patients who are likely to have aggressive or more advanced bladder cancer. Cxbladder
Resolve, when used as part of the primary evaluation of haematuria and/or in conjunction with other Cxbladder tests (Triage,
Detect), is designed to assist clinicians by accurately identifying patients with a high probability of having high grade or late
stage bladder cancer, for whom alternative or expedited treatment options may be warranted, or who can be prioritised for
further investigation in high throughput settings.
Refer to www.cxbladder.com for more information.
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