Panacos Announces Management Changes.WATERTOWN, Mass. -- Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :PANC), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing the next generation of antiviral antiviral /an·ti·vi·ral/ (-vi´ral) destroying viruses or suppressing their replication, or an agent that so acts. an·ti·vi·ral adj. therapeutic products, today announced the resignation of Peyton J. Marshall as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer to pursue other opportunities and outside personal interests. The Company has initiated a search for a new CFO See Chief Financial Officer. . In the interim, Robert Pelletier, VP Finance will assume responsibilities as Acting Principal Accounting Officer as he has done in the past for Panacos and at other public companies. "I thank Peyton on behalf of the Panacos team for his significant contributions to the Company, especially for taking on the role of Acting 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. after the tragic passing of Skip Ackerman in June 2006 and wish him all the best in his future endeavors," commented Dr. Alan W. Dunton, Panacos' President and CEO. "I also want to thank Bob Pelletier, a skilled finance executive, for taking on additional interim responsibilities," added Dr. Dunton. "Bob joined us in August 2006 stepping in as VP, Finance as well as Acting Principal Accounting Officer." Dr. Dunton concluded, "We continue to move forward with the development of bevirimat for HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. . We have promising data from the first two cohorts of HIV treatment resistant patients in the 2b dose-finding trial of this novel HIV maturation inhibitor. We expect to have data from the 300 mg cohort early in the fourth quarter and also now have two new liquid formulations suitable for long term dosing." About Panacos Panacos is developing the next generation of anti-infective products through discovery and development of small molecule oral drugs for the treatment of HIV and other major human viral diseases viral diseases Diseases caused by viruses. Long-term immunity usually follows viral childhood diseases (see chickenpox). The common cold recurs into adulthood because many different viruses cause its symptoms, and immunity against one does not protect against others. . HIV infects approximately 1.7 million people in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and Western Europe and approximately 40 million people worldwide. Approximately 650,000 patients are treated annually for HIV in the United States and Western Europe. Resistance to currently available drugs is one of the most pressing problems in HIV therapy and the leading cause of treatment failure. Panacos' proprietary discovery technologies are designed to combat resistance by focusing on novel targets in the virus life cycle, including virus maturation and virus fusion. Panacos' lead candidate, bevirimat (PA-457), is the first in a new class of oral HIV therapeutics under development called maturation inhibitors, discovered by Panacos scientists and their academic collaborators. Based on its novel mechanism of action, bevirimat is designed to have potent activity against a broad range of HIV strains, including those that are resistant to existing classes of drugs. The Company has completed seven clinical studies of bevirimat in over 300 subjects, showing significant reductions in viral load viral load n. The concentration of a virus, such as HIV, in the blood. viral load, n a measure of the number of virus particles present in the bloodstream, expressed as copies per milliliter. in HIV-infected subjects and a promising safety profile, and is currently in Phase 2b clinical trials. The Company also has a second-generation program in HIV maturation inhibition in clinical testing and a research program to develop oral HIV fusion inhibitors. Except for the historical information contained herein, statements made herein, including those relating to bevirimat's clinical development, the potential results of treatment with bevirimat and future clinical trials and clinical practice are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements involve risks as set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. |
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