ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PharmAthene, Inc., a
biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological
and chemical threats, announced today that it has appointed Joan Fusco,
Ph.D. Senior Vice President of Operations.
Dr. Fusco brings more than twenty years of experience in the
biotechnology and vaccines industry, with broad experience in a variety of
functional areas including, R&D, pilot plant operations, regulatory
affairs, clinical development and commercial manufacturing within both
large and small biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining PharmAthene,
Dr. Fusco served as Senior Vice President, Operations for Acambis, Inc.,
where she had been responsible for overall operations of the company,
including development, manufacturing, quality systems, project management,
IT and logistics/purchasing. While at Acambis, Dr. Fusco oversaw the
development and manufacturing operations of the company's biodefense and
portfolio programs, and was responsible for ensuring delivery of a
newly-licensed biodefense vaccine. Prior thereto, Dr. Fusco served as Vice
President, Technical Affairs - Vaccines, and Vice President, Global Project
Management for Baxter Healthcare Corporation, BioScience Division, where
she held project management responsibility for the vaccines development
pipeline and successfully shepherded two new vaccines from discovery
through to commercialization.
David P. Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented,
"Joan's considerable experience in biodefense product development and
commercialization is a tremendous asset to PharmAthene. We're very pleased
to welcome her to our senior management team and are confident that her
expertise in all facets of biopharmaceutical product development will help
to ensure the success of Valortim (TM) and Protexia(R), our biodefense
product candidates intended for the treatment of anthrax and chemical nerve
agents, respectively."
Mr. Wright continued, "Both Valortim and Protexia continue to make
excellent progress. We are presently focused on manufacturing scale-up for
Valortim and recently commenced a 2000L engineering run. If successful, it
will enable Valortim to be positioned for procurement by the U.S.
government as early as 2010. Similarly, we've completed process development
activities for Protexia and anticipate commencing our first trial in humans
later this year to evaluate safety. With Joan's oversight we believe we can
enhance the opportunities for success for each of these programs."
Dr. Fusco is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where she
received a Ph.D. in Microbiology/Biological Sciences.
About PharmAthene, Inc.
PharmAthene (Amex: PIP) was formed to meet the critical needs of the
United States and its allies by developing and commercializing medical
countermeasures against biological and chemical weapons. PharmAthene's lead
programs include Valortim(TM) for the prevention and treatment of anthrax
infection and Protexia(R) for the prevention and treatment of morbidity and
mortality associated with exposure to chemical nerve agents. For more
information on PharmAthene, please visit http://www.PharmAthene.com.
Statement on Cautionary Factors
Except for the historical information presented herein, matters
discussed may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed
or implied by such statements. Statements that are not historical facts,
including statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words
"potential"; "believe"; "anticipate"; "intend"; "plan"; "expect";
"estimate"; "could"; "may"; "should"; "could"; or similar statements are
forward-looking statements. PharmAthene disclaims, however, any intent or
obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Risks and
uncertainties include, without limitation, those relating to product
development, product efficacy, product demand, market acceptance, the
effect of economic conditions, intellectual property rights and other risks
identified in this release and in the periodic filings of the Company with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of PharmAthene's public
disclosure filings are available from its investor relations department.
SOURCE PharmAthene, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.pharmathene.com
CONTACT:
Stacey Jurchison, Director, Corporate
Communications of PharmAthene, Inc., +1-410-269-2610, Cell
+1-410-474-8200, JurchisonS@PharmAthene.com
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