GeneMedicine appoints Thomas H. Rossing, M.D. to vice president, Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 1996-- GeneMedicine Inc. (NASDAQ:GMED) Tuesday announced the appointment of Thomas H. Rossing, M.D., to vice president, Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs, a newly created position.

Rossing, age 46, joins GeneMedicine from Glaxo Wellcome Inc., where he was responsible for worldwide clinical trials to support registration of that company's respiratory products and delivery systems.

Rossing, whose primary responsibility will be to direct the company's clinical development of its non-viral gene therapy products, will report to Eric Tomlinson, D.Sc., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of GeneMedicine.

"Dr. Rossing has achieved extensive success in the clinical development of pharmaceutical products and is the ideal senior executive for the clinical introduction of our gene therapy products.

"In the next several months, he will spearhead the commencement of clinical trials for our IGF-I product for muscle rehabilitation and our cancer products for head and neck cancers," said Tomlinson. "Dr. Rossing's proven track record in designing and implementing clinical trials and seeing them through the entire regulatory process to approval made him the clear choice for GeneMedicine."

Since June 1995, Rossing has served as director of International Respiratory Clinical Research at Glaxo Wellcome Inc., where he was responsible for directing a team of 60 people conducting worldwide clinical trials.

As the director of the Respiratory Clinical Research Group at Glaxo Inc. from March 1993 to June 1995, Rossing led a team that received marketing approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for three products and submitted two additional New Drug Applications and three Investigational New Drug Applications.

Prior to joining Glaxo, Rossing was director of Regulatory Liaison Worldwide at Merck Research Laboratories. Previously, Rossing held numerous hospital and academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1976 and his B.A. from the University of Texas in 1971.

"Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry, I was attracted to GeneMedicine's non-viral gene therapy platform technology because it encompasses the key elements of a successful product: the ability to cause a desired therapeutic response with a limited side effect profile and the ease of administration with improved patient compliance coupled with cost-effective manufacturing," Rossing said.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to GeneMedicine as its pioneering products enter clinical trials."

Scientists at GeneMedicine are focused on the discovery and development of a broad-based non-viral technology that enables genes to be used in conventional medicine. The company's "gene medicines" are designed for direct administration to patients to cause the production and distribution of therapeutic proteins within the body.

Gene medicines are for acute or chronic use and may be administered through convenient and conventional routes, including intramuscular injection, inhalation or intravenous injection. The company's initial business focus is the development of gene medicines for the fields of cancer, pulmonary disease, musculoskeletal disorders and gene vaccines for infectious disease.

The company anticipates filing its first corporate IND in the third quarter 1996 for its IGF-I gene medicine and commencing clinical trials on the product candidate at the end of the year.

GeneMedicine is developing its products through corporate alliances with major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The company has corporate partnerships with Roche Bioscience in the areas of asthma, arthritis and transplant rejection and with Boehringer Mannheim for the development of gene medicines to treat head and neck cancers and melanoma.

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to: the early stage of the company's development and technological uncertainty, the timing of regulatory approvals, future capital needs and uncertainty of additional funding and dependence on collaborative partners and licenses.

These factors and others are more fully discussed in the company's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 1995, and subsequent interim reports.

CONTACT: GeneMedicine Inc., The Woodlands

Angela Goodwin, 713/364-1150