LOS ANGELES, March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CytRx Corporation
(NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical research and development
company specializing in oncology, today announced the engagement of
Eric L. Curtis, MBA, to provide
strategic counsel for the Company's ongoing programs, including its
LADR™ (Linker Activated Drug Release) technology platform and
ultra-high potency drug candidates, beginning with proof of concept
through clinical development.
"CytRx is an exciting story, with a lot of potential for its
LADR® technology drug candidates to change the way patients with
high unmet needs receive treatment," said Mr. Curtis. "Dr.
Kratz, and his world-class team at the discovery lab in Freiberg,
Germany have created a valuable
discovery engine for the creation of new, proprietary drug
candidates that employ a linker to deliver a variety of ultra-high
potency cytotoxic payloads, but with the potential for low systemic
toxicity. This work could result in LADR® products having distinct
advantages over what is available to treat patients today. I look
forward to working with the entire CytRx team as we maximize the
potential of this technology and its ability to create new
treatments for patients battling cancer."
"Eric is a key addition to our corporate development team. His
engagement represents our commitment to maximizing the potential of
our ongoing programs, including the advancement of our innovative
LADR drug conjugates as well as managing both existing and future
partnerships," said Steven A.
Kriegsman, CytRx's Chairman and CEO. "Eric has a long
history of leading successful oncology initiatives at life science
companies and we believe his expertise will be invaluable as we
develop our emerging LADR candidates and pursue new strategic
partnering opportunities with large pharma and biotech companies,
all with the goal of ultimately broadening the reach of the LADR
platform technology through creation of new ultra-high potency
anti-cancer agents."
Mr. Curtis brings 25 years of drug development and
commercialization strategy experience to CytRx, with a proven track
record in executive leadership in oncology. Most recently, he has
provided commercial and strategic consultancy services to a variety
of life science companies through his consultancy practice, Curtis
Biopharm Consulting. Prior to that, Mr. Curtis served as President,
U.S. Commercial, at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (now Novelion
Therapeutics), where he was instrumental in designing and
implementing the division's structure and business strategy and
delivering optimal performance. Prior to Aegerion, Mr. Curtis
served as Vice President and General Manager – Rare
Disease/Cardiopulmonary Business Unit at Bayer Healthcare, where he
successfully led the design and build of this new US commercial
business unit. Prior to Bayer, he held positions of increasing
responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline, culminating in his role as Vice
President, US Marketing – Immunology/Rare Disease Unit and
Benlysta® Global Commercial Leader. In this role, he led the
successful US launch of Benlysta. Prior to that role he was
active in the development strategy for Votrient® for the treatment
of soft tissue sarcoma, renal cell carcinoma and other tumor types.
Mr. Curtis also brings substantial sales and marketing acumen
gained through his involvement in several oncology treatments,
including Doxil®, Velcade®, and Tykerb®. Mr. Curtis earned a Master
of Business Administration degree from Pennsylvania State University, as well as a
Bachelor of Science degree from the University
of Pittsburgh, where he majored in both Business and
Psychology.
About the LADR™ Technology Platform
CytRx's innovative
LADR™ (Linker Activated Drug Release) technology employs a broad
portfolio of novel linker molecules that selectively bind to
circulating albumin and can be linked to a wide variety of
anti-cancer payloads. The Company's research efforts
currently center on creating new molecules from the combination of
ultra-high potency cytotoxic payloads with tunable linkers.
The molecules that CytRx is currently evaluating concentrate at the
tumor site providing targeted delivery of the cell killing
payloads.
About CytRx Corporation
CytRx
Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR) is a biopharmaceutical company
specializing in research and clinical development of novel
anti-cancer drug candidates that employ linker technologies to
enhance the accumulation and release of drug at the
tumor. CytRx is also rapidly expanding its pipeline of
ultra-high potency oncology candidates at its laboratory facilities
in Freiburg, Germany, through its LADR™ (Linker Activated Drug
Release) technology platform, a discovery engine designed to
leverage CytRx's expertise in albumin biology and linker
technology for the development of a new class of potential
breakthrough anti-cancer
therapies. Aldoxorubicin, CytRx's most advanced drug
conjugate, is an improved version of the widely used anti-cancer
drug doxorubicin and has been out-licensed to NantCell,
Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ
materially from the events or results described in the
forward-looking statements, including the ability of NantCell,
Inc., to obtain regulatory approval for its products that use
aldoxorubicin; the ability of NantCell, Inc., to manufacture
and commercialize products or therapies that use aldoxorubicin; the
amount, if any, of future milestone and royalty payments that we
may receive from NantCell, Inc.; our ability to develop new
ultra-high potency drug candidates based on our
LADRTM technology platform; and other risks and
uncertainties described in the most recent annual and quarterly
reports filed by CytRx with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and current reports filed since the date
of CytRx's most recent annual report. All forward-looking
statements are based upon information available
to CytRx on the date the statements are first
published. CytRx undertakes no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor Relations Contact:
Argot Partners
Michelle Carroll/Sean Augustine-Obi
(212) 600-1902
michelle@argotpartners.com
sean@argotpartners.com
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cytrx-announces-key-addition-to-corporate-development-team-300606382.html
SOURCE CytRx Corporation