SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical,
Inc. (Nasdaq: AEMD), a medical technology company focused on
developing products to diagnose and treat life and organ
threatening diseases, announced today the appointment of
Charles J. Fisher, Jr., M.D., as
Chief Executive Officer, effective as of October 30, 2020. Dr. Fisher joined Aethlon
as a member of Aethlon's Board of Directors and has served as
Chairman of the Board since November 2017. Mr. Ed Broenniman replaced Dr. Fisher as the
Chairman of the Board effective as of October 30, 2020. Dr. Fisher brings an
impressive record of results in global, strategic and operational
roles to Aethlon. Dr. Fisher succeeds Dr. Timothy Rodell, who will serve as a consultant
to Aethlon during the transition.
Dr. Fisher's experience as Head, Section of Critical Care
Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and his research in
sepsis, inflammation, host defense and endothelial dysfunction led
to his recruitment to Eli Lilly & Co., where he led the Xigris
(activated Protein C) Global Product Team and successfully
registered the first drug approved for the treatment of sepsis. Dr.
Fisher served as Vice President for Global Pharmaceutical
Development at Abbott Laboratories where, among other
accomplishments, he guided the registration of Humira. Dr.
Fisher also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical
Officer at Cardiome Pharma, where he led multiple clinical trials
for Brinavess, resulting to its approval in Europe and a global strategic transaction with
Merck and Co. for $800 million US
dollars. Additionally, Dr. Fisher has served as a member of
the Defense Science Research Council and on DARPA panels, including
one focused on universal host defense. Aethlon's Board of
Directors believes these experiences will enable Dr. Fisher to
guide Aethlon's development and commercialization of the
Hemopurifier.
"We are delighted to begin our next chapter at Aethlon with Dr.
Fisher as our CEO," said Mr. Broenniman, Chairman of Aethlon's
Board of Directors. "Chuck's depth and breadth of experience
in financing, structuring corporate deals, clinical development and
regulatory strategy, both in the U.S. and internationally, will be
of great value as we prepare Aethlon for the next phase of
development."
"I am both honored and excited to take over this role at Aethlon
at this time," said Dr. Fisher. "I believe the Aethlon Hemopurifier
has great potential for treating life-threatening viral infections
including Covid-19 and potentially cancer. We are now open to
enrolling patients in our first clinical trial in advanced and/or
metastatic head and neck cancer at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
in Pittsburgh, PA. Also under
an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) we are now
opening sites for our trial to treat patients with
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection. I look forward to working with
the team at Aethlon and its collaborators to continue to advance
the science and in an effort to bring important treatments to
patients and create value for shareholders."
"I'm proud to have led Aethlon for the past 2 years", said Dr.
Rodell. "I am pleased to hand the reins to Chuck to lead the
next phase of Aethlon's growth, and I wish him and the leadership
team every success."
Dr. Fisher commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I
want to thank Tim for his leadership, commitment and
accomplishments as Chief Executive Officer. We wish him
continued success in his future endeavors."
About Aethlon and the Hemopurifier®
Aethlon is focused on addressing unmet needs in global health.
The Aethlon Hemopurifier is a clinical-stage immunotherapeutic
device designed to combat cancer and life-threatening viral
infections. In cancer, the Hemopurifier is designed to deplete the
presence of circulating tumor-derived exosomes that promote immune
suppression.
These tumor derived exosomes also seed the spread of metastases
and inhibit the benefit of leading cancer therapies. The
Hemopurifier® is an FDA designated "Breakthrough Device" related to
the treatment of individuals with advanced or metastatic cancer who
are either unresponsive to or intolerant of standard of care
therapy, and with cancer types in which exosomes have been shown to
participate in the development or severity of the disease cancer.
The Hemopurifier also holds a Breakthrough Device designation
related to life-threatening viruses that are not addressed with
approved therapies. Under the Investigational Device
Exemption (IDE) application approved by FDA in October 2019 the FDA has also approved an
amendment to the Company's open IDE for the Hemopurifier in life
threatening viral infections, to allow for the treatment of
patients with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection. This will allow
for up to 40 of these patients to be treated under a New
Feasibility Study protocol at up to 20 clinical sites in the
U.S.
Aethlon also owns 80% of Exosome Sciences, Inc., which is
focused on the discovery of exosomal biomarkers to diagnose and
monitor cancer and neurological disease progression. Additional
information can be found online at www.AethlonMedical.com and
www.ExosomeSciences.com.
Forward Looking Statement. This press
release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, that involve risks and uncertainties. Statements in
this press release containing words such as "may," "might",
"believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project,"
"will," "projections," "estimate," or similar expressions
constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and
actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated
in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may
contribute to such differences include, without limitation, the
Hemopurifier's potential for treating life-threatening viral
infections, including Covid-19 and potentially cancer, the
Company's ability to enroll patients in and successfully complete
trials in advanced and/or metastatic head and neck cancer, the
Company's ability to enroll patients in a new Feasability Study and
successfully treat patients with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection
under the Company's IDE application, and other potential
risks. The foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is
illustrative, but is not exhaustive. Additional factors that could
cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in
forward-looking statements can be found under the caption "Risk
Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended March 31, 2030, and in the
Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including without limitation our quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. Any
forward-looking statements that the Company makes in this press
release speak only as of the date of this press release.
Except as may be required by law, the Company does not intend,
nor does it undertake any duty, to update this information to
reflect future events or circumstances.
Company Contact:
Jim Frakes, CFO
jfrakes@aethlonmedical.com
858-459-7800 extension 3300
Media Contact:
Tony Russo, Ph.D.
Russo Partners, LLC
tony.russo@russopartnersllc.com
212-845-4251
Investor Contact:
Susan Noonan
S.A. Noonan Communications, LLC
susan@sanoonan.com
212-966-3650
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SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc.