CancerVax Appoints New Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development; Company Also Announces Hiring of Key Management Staff in Manufacturing and Quality Control.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2003 CancerVax Corporation announced today that it has appointed Martin Mattingly, Pharm. D., to the position of Executive Vice President. Dr. Mattingly, formerly Vice President and General Manager for Pfizer's Agouron Pharmaceuticals, will oversee corporate development and marketing for the Company. "The addition of Martin to our executive team comes at a key time as we continue to advance the CANVAXIN(TM) therapeutic cancer vaccine through Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic Metastatic The term used to describe a secondary cancer, or one that has spread from one area of the body to another. Mentioned in: Coagulation Disorders metastatic pertaining to or of the nature of a metastasis. melanoma and prepare to begin additional trials for the treatment of colon cancer colon cancer, cancer of any part of the colon (often called the large intestine). Colon cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. ," said David F. Hale, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of CancerVax. "In addition to his experience in corporate development, Martin has significant experience in the creation of sales and marketing organizations and the launch of innovative, new therapeutic products, which aligns with our strategic goal to become a fully integrated biotechnology company." Dr. Mattingly previously served as Vice President, Product Development Group for Pfizer, and Vice President of Global Marketing, Senior Director of Marketing and Director of Product Marketing for Agouron. At Agouron he was a part of the senior management team that created a sales and marketing organization for the launch of VIRACEPT(R) for AIDS, which had peak sales of over $400 million. Prior to joining Agouron, Dr. Mattingly worked at Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company and one of the world's largest corporations. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. in management positions in oncology and CNS See Continuous net settlement. CNS See continuous net settlement (CNS). (central nervous system) marketing, where he led the development of a new oncology sales and marketing organization and launched Gemzar(R) for pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer Malignant tumour of the pancreas. Risk factors include smoking, a diet high in fat, exposure to certain industrial products, and diseases such as diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men. . While at Lilly, Dr. Mattingly also undertook marketing programs for new Prozac(R) indications. Dr. Mattingly has a Doctor of Pharmacy America Canada In Canada the Pharm. D. programme is offered in both English and French. It has been available from the University of British Columbia since 1991 and at the University of Toronto, both offering it as a post-graduate degree. degree from the University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. . CancerVax also announced two additional appointments to its management team. Steven Ruhl has been hired as Executive Director of Manufacturing and Rabi Prusti, Ph.D., has been hired as Director of Quality Control. Mr. Ruhl and Dr. Prusti will be based in CancerVax's biologics manufacturing facility located in Los Angeles, where they will oversee production and quality control of the CANVAXIN(TM) vaccine, respectively. As Executive Director of Manufacturing, Mr. Ruhl will be responsible for day-to-day operations at CancerVax's biologics manufacturing facility, including activities supporting the future commercial production of the CANVAXIN(TM) vaccine should the Phase 3 trials demonstrate safety and efficacy. Mr. Ruhl previously served as Director of Manufacturing Operations for IDEC IDEC Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Portugese: Brazilian Consumer Protection Agency) IDEC Information Design & End-User Computing IDEC Interior Design Educators Council, Inc. Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw the continuous (24/7) production of monoclonal antibodies for commercial and clinical use. Prior to joining IDEC, Mr. Ruhl held the position of Manager of Manufacturing with Xoma Corporation, where he was responsible for production of late phase recombinant therapies and managed the manufacturing of additional products utilizing the Xoma facility. Mr. Ruhl also previously served as Associate Director of Manufacturing with Celtrix Pharmaceuticals, where he led the design of a new facility; oversaw process programming, equipment specifications, engineering and construction; and coordinated the initiation of 24/7 operations. Mr. Ruhl received his B.S. in Microbiology and Chemistry from Brigham Young University Brigham Young University, at Provo, Utah; Latter-Day Saints; coeducational; opened as an academy in 1875 and became a university in 1903. It is noted for its law and business schools. . Dr. Prusti will be responsible for all quality control functions at CancerVax's biologics manufacturing facility as well as overall operational management of the laboratories at the facility. Dr. Prusti previously served as Director of Analytical and Quality Sciences with BioSpecifics Technologies Corporation, where he was responsible for quality control, various analytical science activities including assay development and validation, participation in FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. inspections and support for new product development. He has previously worked with biotechnology companies V.I. Technologies and Curative Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract , as well as in academia in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a public medical school located in Seattle, Washington. It is a graduate school affiliated with the University of Washington, and is the only medical school in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho. and in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Texas Tech University. Dr. Prusti has published 20 papers in scientific journals and presented nearly 50 abstracts at various scientific meetings. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas Tech University, his M.S. and M.Phil. in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University The sprawling campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय ) in India, and his B.S. from Utkal University in India. About CancerVax Corporation (www.cancervax.com) CancerVax Corporation is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of biological products for the treatment and control of cancer. The Company's lead product candidate, CANVAXIN(TM), is a therapeutic cancer vaccine currently being evaluated in two international Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of advanced-stage melanoma. CancerVax also plans to evaluate the vaccine in the treatment of advanced-stage colon cancer and develop additional vaccines to treat other types of cancers. The FDA has granted CancerVax both Orphan Drug orphan drug, drug developed under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act (1983) to treat a disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The orphan drug law offers tax breaks and a seven-year monopoly on drug sales to induce companies to undertake the and Fast Track designations for the CANVAXIN(TM) vaccine in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The Company has additional product candidates in preclinical development for the treatment of cancer, including several monoclonal antibodies that appear to inhibit angiogenesis angiogenesis /an·gio·gen·e·sis/ (-jen´e-sis) vasculogenesis; development of blood vessels either in the embryo or in the form of neovascularization or revascularization. an·gi·o·gen·e·sis n. , the blood vessel blood vessel n. An elastic tubular channel, such as an artery, a vein, a sinus, or a capillary, through which the blood circulates. blood vessel(s), n the network of muscular tubes that carry blood. development that is necessary for tumor growth. CancerVax maintains its corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and its biologics manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, California. CancerVax cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by CancerVax that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in CancerVax's business including, without limitation, statements about: the progress and timing of its clinical trials; difficulties or delays in development, testing, obtaining regulatory approval, producing and marketing its products; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of its products that could delay or prevent product development or commercialization, or that could result in recalls or product liability claims; the scope and validity of patent protection for its products; competition from other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies; and its ability to obtain additional financing to support its operations. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and CancerVax undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. CancerVax(R) and CANVAXIN(TM) are trademarks of CancerVax Corporation. |
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