AEterna Zentaris completes management team with the appointment of Chief Medical Officer
August 16 2007 - 7:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AEterna Zentaris
Inc. (TSX: AEZ; NASDAQ: AEZS), a global biopharmaceutical company
focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, today announced the
filling of a key position completing the management team with the
appointment of Paul Blake, M.D., as Senior Vice President and Chief
Medical Officer. "The appointment of Dr. Blake is timely and
critical as our foremost priority is to bring our flagship product
candidate, cetrorelix, to market as a novel treatment in the BPH
indication in an expeditious manner", said David J. Mazzo, Ph.D.,
President and Chief Executive Officer at AEterna Zentaris. "Paul
brings a wealth of knowledge and is an excellent addition to our
team, with over 25 years of solid experience in clinical
development and product launching for major pharmaceutical
companies worldwide. He will be instrumental in effectively
managing our development programs through to commercialization,
specifically our Phase 3 program in BPH for cetrorelix, as well as
focusing on our other high priority drug development programs."
Prior to joining AEterna Zentaris, Dr. Blake was Chief Medical
Officer of Avigenics, Inc. In 2005, he was Senior Vice President,
Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs at Cephalon, Inc. before
being promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Medical &
Regulatory Operations. From 1992 to 1998, he held the position of
Senior Vice President and Medical Director, Clinical Research and
Development at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GSK). Dr.
Blake earned a medical degree from the London University, Royal
Free Hospital. He was elected Fellow of the American College of
Clinical Pharmacology, Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Medicine, Royal College of Physicians in the UK, and is a Fellow of
the Royal College of Physicians in the UK. "Over the recent months,
we have made significant progress in strengthening our core
competencies and have undeniably established a world class team,"
said Dr. Mazzo. "I believe that with this experienced, highly
competent team along with our rich, self-sustaining pipeline, we
have all the key elements to successfully place AEterna Zentaris in
a new growth category and significantly unlock shareholder value."
Following Dr. Blake's appointment, the Company's Executive
Management Team is comprised of the following members: - Paul
Blake, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer; -
Jurgen Engel, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific
Officer; - Ellen McDonald, M.B.A., Senior Vice President, Business
Operations and Chief Business Officer; - Mario Paradis, C.A.,
Senior Vice President, Administrative and Legal Affairs, and
Corporate Secretary; - Nicholas J. Pelliccione, Ph.D., Senior Vice
President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance; and - Dennis
Turpin, C.A., Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
About AEterna Zentaris Inc. AEterna Zentaris Inc. is a global
biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology
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: Jenene Thomas, Senior Director, Investor
Relations and Corporate Communications, (908) 938-1475, ; Media
Relations: Paul Burroughs, (418) 652-8525 ext. 406,
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