CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beam Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAM), a biotechnology company developing precision genetic medicines through base editing, today announced the appointment of Eric Foster as chief commercial officer. Mr. Foster will lead Beam’s commercial organization and strategy as the company advances multiple product candidates across its hematology and genetic disease franchises toward potential launches.

"Eric is an exceptional biopharmaceutical leader with a proven track record of building high-performing commercial organizations in specialty and rare disease markets," said John Evans, chief executive officer of Beam Therapeutics. "His decades of commercial leadership are impressive, including spearheading the commercial success of multiple blockbuster rare disease franchises at Horizon Therapeutics during a period of significant growth prior to its acquisition by Amgen. As we prepare for the potential launch of risto-cel in 2027, Eric's experience building strong teams and culture, defining and executing clear commercial strategies, and leading through growth will be invaluable as we lay the foundation for Beam's next chapter and work to bring multiple precision genetic medicines to patients in the years ahead."

Mr. Foster brings more than 25 years of commercial leadership experience across biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals and most recently served as chief commercial officer at Ardelyx. Prior to Ardelyx, Mr. Foster served as senior vice president and U.S. general manager at Amgen following the acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics in October 2023. At Horizon, he was senior vice president and general manager of the gout and ophthalmology business units, where he led operations for franchises that represented $2.75 billion in net sales revenue. Prior to his time at Horizon, from 2010 to 2021, Mr. Foster held roles of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing at GlaxoSmithKline across a variety of immunology and rare disease products, including serving as vice president of immunology marketing, senior global marketing director and field sales vice president. Mr. Foster began his career in sales and market access at Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University.

"I'm excited to join Beam at such an important moment in the company's evolution," said Foster. "Beam has built one of the most innovative platforms and deepest pipelines in biotechnology, with the potential to redefine how serious genetic diseases are treated. I look forward to partnering with the talented team at Beam to build a leading commercial organization, establish the capabilities needed to support multiple potential launches and, ultimately, bring these transformative medicines to patients."

About Beam Therapeutics

Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BEAM) is a biotechnology company committed to establishing the leading, fully integrated platform for precision genetic medicines. To achieve this vision, Beam has assembled a platform with integrated gene editing, delivery and internal manufacturing capabilities. Beam’s suite of gene editing technologies is anchored by base editing, a proprietary technology that is designed to enable precise, predictable and efficient single base changes, at targeted genomic sequences, without making double-stranded breaks in the DNA. This has the potential to enable a wide range of potential therapeutic editing strategies that Beam is using to advance a diversified portfolio of base editing programs. Beam is a values-driven organization committed to its people, cutting-edge science, and a vision of providing lifelong cures to patients suffering from serious diseases.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to: the timing and effective date of the appointment of Mr. Foster; the contributions Mr. Foster may make in his role with the company; the therapeutic applications and potential of our technology; the anticipated timing of potential product launches, including any potential launch of risto-cel; our plans to advance our programs; the sufficiency of our capital resources to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; and our ability to develop life-long, curative, precision genetic medicines for patients through base editing. Each forward-looking statement is subject to important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize our product candidates, which may take longer or cost more than planned; our ability to raise additional funding, which may not be available; our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for our product candidates; the uncertainty that our product candidates will receive regulatory approval necessary to initiate human clinical trials; that preclinical testing of our product candidates and preliminary or interim data from preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of the results or success of ongoing or later clinical trials; that initiation and enrollment of, and anticipated timing to advance, our clinical trials may take longer than expected; that our product candidates or the delivery modalities we rely on to administer them may cause serious adverse events; that our product candidates may experience manufacturing or supply interruptions or failures; risks related to competitive products; our ability to build and scale commercial infrastructure, including a sales and marketing organization, to support potential product launches; and the other risks and uncertainties identified under the headings "Risk Factors Summary" and "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, and in any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

Contacts:

Investors:

Holly Manning

Beam Therapeutics

hmanning@beamtx.com

Media:

Josie Butler

1AB

josie@1abmedia.com