SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 24 /PRNewswire Interactive Press Release/ --
Scios Inc. (Nasdaq: SCIO) today announced the appointment of Kim Hillis and
Randall St. Laurent as area business directors to oversee the U.S. sales force
for Natrecor(R) (nesiritide), the company's novel treatment for acute
congestive heart failure (CHF), currently being reviewed for marketing
approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Scios submitted an amended New Drug Application (NDA) for Natrecor to the
FDA on January 10, 2001 and the FDA's Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory
Committee will review this information at its May 25 meeting.
Ms. Hillis and Mr. St. Laurent will be responsible for running U.S. field
operations, overseeing a 180-person sales force and 18 area business managers
throughout the United States. Ms. Hillis and Mr. St. Laurent are now working
to identify, hire, train, and deploy a dedicated cardiology and emergency
medicine sales force to launch Natrecor following FDA approval, which is
expected in the third quarter of this year.
"These are two of the most competent and experienced people in the
business and we are fortunate they have chosen to join our team to build and
operate the Natrecor field sales force," said Tom Feldman, Vice President of
Sales and Marketing. "Together Kim and Randy bring more than 30 years
experience selling to our key target audiences of cardiologists and emergency
room professionals. These are just the right people to help us establish the
leading sales force in acute congestive heart failure."
Ms. Hillis, 41, brings to Scios more than 17 years of sales and management
experience in the healthcare industry. Most recently, she served as Regional
Sales Manager for Cor Therapeutics, where she was instrumental in launching
Cor's first approved product, INTEGRILIN(R) (eptifibatide) Injection, which is
now one of the leading GP IIb-IIIa inhibitors on the market for the treatment
of acute coronary syndromes. Prior to joining Cor, Ms. Hillis held a variety
of sales positions at Nycomed Inc., where she managed 52 sales representatives
and six area sales managers in 18 states. Ms. Hillis obtained a B.S. degree
in nursing and a business degree.
Mr. St. Laurent, 40, joins Scios from Transkaryotic Therapies, where he
was Executive Director of Field Operations from 1999 though 2001. Previously,
Mr. St. Laurent worked at Genentech, where he held several sales positions,
including Regional and Division Manager. Mr. St. Laurent has been
instrumental in launching four approved products, including Genentech Inc.'s
blockbuster heart attack drug Activase(R) (alteplase, recombinant) TPA for the
treatment of acute myocardial infarction. During Mr. St. Laurent's 12 years
at Genentech, he won numerous top sales awards, and eventually managed
26 sales representatives and four area sales managers. Mr. St. Laurent
obtained a B.S. degree in Business Administration.
About Natrecor
Natrecor is a recombinant form of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a
naturally occurring hormone in the body that aids healthy functioning of the
heart. BNP is secreted by the ventricles of the heart as one of the body's
natural responses to heart failure. When the heart is unable to pump blood
efficiently, BNP is produced to ease its workload. BNP appears to relax blood
vessels (vasodilation), increase the excretion of sodium (natriuresis) and
fluid (diuresis), and decrease neurohormones that lead to vessel constriction,
fluid retention and elevated blood pressure.
Scios, Inc.
Scios is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for heart
failure and rheumatoid arthritis. The company's disease-based technology
platform integrates expertise in protein biology with combinatorial and
medicinal chemistry to identify novel targets and rationally design small
molecule compounds to treat cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, two of
the world's leading unmet medical needs. Additional information on Scios is
available at its web site located at http://www.sciosinc.com and in the company's
various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These
include uncertainties associated with creation of the Natrecor sales force and
having it in place for product launch, as well as other risks detailed from
time to time in the reports filed by Scios with the SEC, including the
company's annual report on form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000.
SOURCE Scios, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.sciosinc.com
CONTACT:
Wendy Carhart of Scios Inc., 408-616-8325; or
Jim Weiss of Weisscomm, 415-203-0328, for Scios Inc.; or Michelle
Choi of Edelman Public Relations, 212-704-4580, for Scios Inc.
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