DENVER, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Myogen, Inc., a Colorado-based
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and
commercializing drugs for the treatment of heart failure and related
cardiovascular complications, announced today the appointment of Michael J.
Gerber, MD, as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory
Affairs. Dr. Gerber has ten years of experience directing the clinical
development of cardiovascular and oncology products in the biotechnology
industry. Most recently, Dr. Gerber served as Senior Vice President of
Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at Allos Therapeutics, Inc. Prior
to Allos, he was Executive Director of Drug Development and Medical Affairs at
Somatogen, Inc. Dr. Gerber received his medical degree from the University of
Colorado and completed a residency in internal medicine at UCLA, and
postgraduate fellowships in pulmonary and critical care medicine, and
molecular biology at the University of Colorado.
"Mike brings us outstanding experience in clinical medicine coupled with a
broad background in the management of drug development in the biotech
industry," commented Dr. J. William Freytag, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Myogen. "Mike's training in pulmonary medicine will also prove
valuable for our plans to aggressively advance our drug development program in
pulmonary hypertension."
Myogen is a privately held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the
discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of heart failure and
related cardiovascular conditions. The company's strategy aims to leverage
its research and clinical expertise in heart muscle disease toward the
development of a portfolio of novel cardiovascular therapeutics. The company
is currently evaluating two drugs in human clinical studies: enoximone, an
agent that increases the force of contraction of the heart, and ambrisentan, a
member of a new class of drugs referred to as endothelin receptor antagonists,
which the Company intends to develop for the treatment of chronic heart
failure, chronic renal failure, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Myogen
sells Perfan(R)I.V., the intravenous form of enoximone, in Europe. In
addition, Myogen's research efforts have identified several novel therapeutic
targets involved in heart failure for which the company has begun drug
discovery efforts.
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a debilitating condition that occurs as the
heart becomes progressively less able to pump an adequate supply of blood
throughout the body. CHF has many causes, generally beginning in patients
with a life-long history of high blood pressure or after a patient has
suffered a major heart attack or some other heart-damaging event. CHF itself
may lead to other complicating factors such as pulmonary hypertension, edema,
pulmonary edema, liver dysfunction and kidney failure. CHF is one of the
largest health problems in the developed world, with costs in the United
States alone exceeding $30 billion annually. In the United States,
approximately five million patients are afflicted with CHF, with an additional
550,000 new cases reported each year. It is estimated that half of all CHF
patients die within five years of diagnosis.
Myogen occupies 20,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in the
Denver, Colorado area and currently has approximately 40 employees. Please
visit our website at http://www.myogen.com .
SOURCE Myogen, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.myogen.com
CONTACT:
J. William Freytag, Ph.D., President & CEO,
+1-303-464-5221, or Joseph L. Turner, Chief Financial Officer,
+1-303-464-5222, both of Myogen, Inc.
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