FREMONT, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Abgenix, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ABGX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on development of antibody
therapeutics, announced today the appointment of Donald R. Joseph as Senior
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
"We are very pleased to have Don on board. He brings extensive legal and
commercial experience in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors," said
Bill Ringo, president and chief executive officer of Abgenix. "His experience
with pharmaceutical and biotech companies will provide Abgenix with legal
expertise that is essential as we prepare to bring our lead product,
panitumumab, to the market."
Mr. Joseph's appointment follows the departure of Susan L. Thorner, who
resigned earlier this year to pursue other opportunities.
Before joining Abgenix, Mr. Joseph was the co-founder of Alekta Group,
LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical consulting group and pharmaceutical
development company. Prior to Alekta he was the Executive Vice President,
Commercial Development of Amarin Corp., a Nasdaq-listed company based in
London, and the Executive Vice President, Legal and Commercial Development for
Amarin Pharmaceuticals, its U.S. subsidiary, for three years. He was
responsible for U.S. in-licensing and product acquisition transactions,
commercial transition for acquired products, U.S. legal affairs, human
resources and administration. From 1998 until 2001, Mr. Joseph worked at Elan
Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical division of Elan Corporation, most
recently as Senior Vice President for commercial and legal affairs. Following
Elan's acquisition of Athena Neurosciences, Inc. in 1996, he served as Vice
President and General Counsel for Athena. From 1978 until 1993, Mr. Joseph
practiced law with law firms in Oklahoma, San Francisco and San Diego. Before
joining Athena Neurosciences in 1994, he was a partner in the San Francisco
office of Baker & McKenzie, a prominent international law firm.
Mr. Joseph received his law degree from the University of Texas Law School
and his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma.
About Abgenix
Abgenix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development and manufacturing of human therapeutic antibodies. The company's
antibody development platform includes a leading technology and state-of-the-
art manufacturing capabilities that enable the rapid generation, selection and
production of high affinity, fully human antibody product candidates to a
variety of disease targets. Abgenix leverages its leadership position in human
antibody technology to build a diversified product portfolio through its own
development efforts and the establishment of collaborations with multiple
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information on Abgenix,
visit the company's website at http://www.abgenix.com.
Statements made in this press release about Abgenix's technologies,
product development activities, collaborative arrangements and process science
and manufacturing capabilities, other than statements of historical fact, and
about its projected financial results and the achievement of milestone or
similar payments, are forward-looking statements and are subject to a number
of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
statements made, including risks associated with the success of clinical
trials, the progress of research and product development programs, product
manufacturing, regulatory approval processes, competitive products and
services, future capital requirements and the extent and breadth of Abgenix's
patent portfolio. Please see Abgenix's public filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for information about risks that may affect Abgenix.
SOURCE Abgenix, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.abgenix.com
CONTACT:
Ami Knoefler, Senior Director, Corporate
Communications and Investor Relations of Abgenix, Inc.,
+1-510-284-6350 or +1-510-284-6605
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