YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advanced Viral Research
Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADVR) announced today that Elma S. Hawkins, Ph.D.,
MBA has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
Dr. Hawkins will continue to serve as a member of ADVR's Board of Directors, a
position she has held since December 2003.
"We are pleased that Dr. Hawkins has agreed to join our team as CEO. We
conducted a long and diligent search to fill this position and with her
valuable combination of scientific, drug development and business expertise,
Dr. Hawkins is the ideal candidate to lead ADVR," said Eli Wilner, Chairman of
Advanced Viral Research Corp. "With our recent inflow of funding, Dr. Hawkins
will spearhead the clinical development of the company's lead product,
AVR118."
Dr. Hawkins has more than 20 years of business, management, regulatory and
scientific experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She
played a pivotal role in bringing a number of drugs to the market in the
United States and Europe.
"I am delighted to be joining ADVR at this critical juncture and to be
leading it to the next phase," commented Dr. Hawkins. "I am particularly
encouraged by the prospects of AVR118 and look forward to the clinical
development of the product in areas of high unmet medical need."
Prior to Dr. Hawkins most recent position as Vice Chairman of Antigenics,
she served in a number of senior positions in corporate development, strategic
planning, and regulatory and clinical affairs at Genzyme Corporation and
Genzyme Tissue Repair. In addition, Dr. Hawkins held preclinical, clinical and
regulatory positions at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and at the
Center for the Study of Drug Development at Tufts Medical School.
Advanced Viral Research Corp., based in Yonkers, New York, is a
biopharmaceutical firm dedicated to improving patients' lives by researching,
developing and bringing to market new and effective therapies for viral and
other diseases. ADVR's lead product, AVR118 (formerly known as Product R),
represents a biopolymer that possesses novel immunomodulator activity. This
peptide-nucleic acid, which to date has shown a very favorable safety profile,
appears to stimulate the proinflammatory responses required to combat viral
infections such as AIDS and human papilloma virus and to dampen aberrant
autoimmune-type inflammatory responses, such as occur in patients with
rheumatoid arthritis. AVR118 is in clinical trials in Israel for the
treatment of cachexia (body wasting) in patients with AIDS.
Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks associated with clinical development, regulatory approvals, including
application to the FDA, product commercialization and other risks described
from time to time in the SEC reports filed by the Company. AVR118 (Product R)
is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any comparable
agencies of any other countries. There is no assurance that the Company will
be able to secure the financing necessary to continue and/or complete the
clinical trials of AVR118 or satisfy certain other conditions relating to
clinical trials including obtaining adequate insurance on terms acceptable to
the Company or that if completed, clinical trials performed outside the United
States will assist the Company in obtaining FDA or other regulatory approval.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information
contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future
events or circumstances or otherwise.
For further information regarding Advanced Viral Research Corp., please
visit our website at http://www.adviral.com.
Contact: Ronnie Welch or
Kelly Cinelli
CWR & Partners
508/222-4802
SOURCE Advanced Viral Research Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.adviral.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/903002.html
CONTACT:
Ronnie Welch or Kelly Cinelli, both of CWR &
Partners, +1-508-222-4802, for Advanced Viral Research Corp.
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