AEterna Zentaris Announces Appointment of New President and CEO
March 26 2007 - 9:58AM
PR Newswire (US)
QUEBEC CITY, March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AEterna Zentaris
Inc. (TSX: AEZ; NASDAQ: AEZS) a late-stage, global
biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and
oncology, announced today the appointment of David J. Mazzo, Ph.D.
as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective on April
9, 2007. Dr. Mazzo succeeds Gilles Gagnon who is leaving his
position, effective today, as President and CEO and as a member of
the Board of Directors. However, Mr. Gagnon will continue to work
with the Company as a consultant. "On behalf of our entire
management team and the Board, I extend my thanks to Gilles for his
tireless efforts, commitment and significant contributions. Gilles
has played a key role in the growth and current positioning of the
Company since he joined in 1999 and then became the President and
CEO in 2003," said Dr. Eric Dupont, Executive Chairman of
AEternaZentaris. "We are pleased that Gilles is maintaining his
involvement by acting as a special advisor to the Company and,
therefore, will continue to contribute to our success." Dr. Mazzo
has spent more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry and is
recognized for his leadership and strong scientific and regulatory
expertise. He joins the Company from Chugai Pharma USA where he has
been President and CEO since April 2003. Dr. Mazzo has broad
experience working in a variety of multi-cultural environments in
the USA, Europe and Asia where he amassed a track record of
successful global product development, registration and launch. He
has held positions of increasing responsibility with Merck, Baxter,
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Hoechst Marion Roussel and Schering-Plough.
Dr. Mazzo holds a B.A. in Honors (Interdisciplinary Humanities) and
a B.S. in Chemistry from Villanova University, as well as an M.S.
in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the
University of Massachusetts (Amherst). He further complemented his
American education as a Research Fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique
Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland. "The Board is delighted to have
an executive with Dave's proven leadership credentials, successful
drug development track record and commercialization experience at
the helm as President and CEO," added Dr. Dupont. "We will benefit
tremendously from his significant industry experience along with
his scientific expertise. Dave is clearly the ideal person to lead
the Company through this critical juncture in our emergence as a
fully integrated biopharmaceutical company." Dr. Mazzo added, "I am
thrilled with this new opportunity and am very much looking forward
to leading AEterna Zentaris through a period of significant and
sustained growth and product success. My vision is to build a
leading biopharmaceutical company by leveraging the solid
foundation that has been established thus far while realizing the
full potential of our robust development pipeline." In order to
further consolidate its position in the United States, the Company
expects to open shortly an office in New Jersey. About AEterna
Zentaris Inc. AEterna Zentaris Inc. is a growing global
biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and endocrine therapy
with proven expertise in drug discovery, development and
commercialization. News releases and additional information are
available at http://www.aeternazentaris.com/. Forward-Looking
Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements
made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical
facts, including statements preceded by, followed by, or that
include the words "believes", "anticipates", "intends", "plans",
"expects", "estimates", "will," "may", "should", "approximately",
and the negative or other variations of those terms or comparable
terminology, are forward-looking statements. Such statements
reflect management's current views, intentions, strategies and
plans and are based on certain assumptions. Forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which
could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and
uncertainties include, among others, the ability of AEterna
Zentaris to implement its business strategies, the availability of
funds and resources to pursue R&D projects, the successful and
timely completion of clinical studies, the ability of AEterna
Zentaris to take advantage of business opportunities in the
pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related to the regulatory
process and general changes in economic conditions. Investors
should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the
Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information
on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking
statements. Investors are cautioned not to rely on these
forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to
update these forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: AETERNA
ZENTARIS INC. CONTACT: Investor Relations: Jenene Thomas, (418)
655-6420, ; Media: Gregory Tiberend, Richard Lewis Communications,
Inc., (212) 827-0020
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