FRANKLIN, Mass., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sontra Medical
Corporation (Nasdaq SC: SONT) announced today that Gerard E. Puorro and Brian
F. Sullivan have joined the Company's Board of Directors. The Company also
announced that three of its directors, James R. McNab Jr., Martin P. Sutter
and W. Leigh Thompson, did not seek reelection at Sontra's Annual Meeting of
Shareholders held on May 19, 2004. In addition, Michael R. Wigley was elected
as Chairman of the Board by the Sontra Board of Directors. These changes bring
the size of the Sontra board to seven members.
Gerard E. Puorro, age 57, has been President and Chief Executive Officer
of Candela Corporation (Nasdaq: CLZR) since 1993 after joining the Company in
1989. Under Mr. Puorro's leadership, Candela has grown to become a leading
developer and manufacturer of medical and aesthetic lasers with 2003 annual
sales of $81 million. Mr. Puorro has extensive experience in the introduction
of new medical products, market analysis, strategic business planning,
technology licensing, strategic partnering, raising public equity capital, and
recruiting and developing successful executive teams. Mr. Puorro is also on
the Board of Directors of Sturge-Weber Foundation, a non-profit organization
devoted to caring for those afflicted with Sturge-Weber Syndrome.
Brian Sullivan, age 42, has been President and Chief Executive Officer of
SterilMed, Inc. a rapidly growing medical reprocessor of medical devices,
since 2002. From January 2001 through June 2002, Mr. Sullivan was a candidate
for Governor of Minnesota. Mr. Sullivan has a successful track record as a
business entrepreneur. From 1999 through 2002, Mr. Sullivan was Co-Chairman of
SimonDelivers.com, an on-line grocery delivery company believed to be the only
profitable on line grocer. In 1986, Mr. Sullivan co-founded Recovery
Engineering Inc, a leading manufacturer of consumer drinking that went
public in 1993 and was Chief Executive Office until the Company was sold to
Proctor and Gamble in October 1999 for $265 million. Mr. Sullivan is also on
the Board of Directors of Entegris (Nasdaq: ENTG), and also serves on the
boards of numerous non-profit organizations.
"We are very pleased to welcome Jerry Puorro and Brian Sullivan to
Sontra's Board," stated Thomas W. Davison, PhD, Sontra's President and Chief
Executive Officer. "These two individuals are outstanding business executives
who have proven track records for growing successful companies. We look
forward to leveraging their expertise as we begin to commercialize our
SonoPrep(R) skin permeation products. In addition, I would like to thank Jim
McNab, Marty Sutter and Leigh Thompson for their distinguished service and
contributions to the Sontra Board and wish them well in their future
endeavors."
In February 2004, the FDA granted Sontra its first 510(k) marketing
clearance for SonoPrep for use in electrophysiology applications and in March
2004 the Company submitted a 510(k) seeking marketing clearance for the use of
SonoPrep and a topical lidocaine procedure tray to achieve rapid skin
anesthesia. This 510(k) application was supported by clinical data from three
studies covering 500 patients that demonstrated rapid skin anesthesia with 4%
lidocaine was achieved within five minutes following a skin pre-treatment with
SonoPrep. Existing topical lidocaine products addressing this $100 million
market require a thirty to sixty minute waiting period before skin anesthesia
is achieved. The Company expects to launch its topical lidocaine procedure
tray in the third quarter of 2004, assuming FDA 510(k) marketing clearance.
About Sontra Medical Corporation (http://www.sontra.com)
Sontra Medical Corporation is the pioneer of SonoPrep, a non-invasive
ultrasound-mediated skin permeation technology that enables transdermal
diagnosis and drug delivery. Sontra's products under development include: a
continuous non-invasive glucose monitor developed in collaboration with Bayer
Diagnostics; a rapid onset (less than 5 minutes) topical anesthetic delivery
system and the use of SonoPrep for the transdermal delivery of large molecule
drugs and biopharmaceuticals.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which address a
variety of subjects including, for example, the expected timing of the
commercial availability of the SonoPrep device and lidocaine procedure tray.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our
beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are
based on our current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those described in the forward-looking statements. The following important
factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: adverse
results in product development, clinical trials and commercialization efforts;
difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products
resulting from development efforts; failure to obtain and maintain patent
protection for discoveries; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or
controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic partners to develop and
commercialize products based on our work; the commercial success of products;
and the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and
development and to expand commercialization activities. For detailed
information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to
Sontra's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Sontra's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB. Forward-looking
statements represent management's current expectations and are inherently
uncertain. We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking
statements made by us.
Contact:
Sean Moran, CFO
Sontra Medical Corporation
Tel: 508-553-8850
Erica Pettit / Thomas Walsh
KCSA Worldwide
Tel: 212-896-1248 / 212-896-1289
SOURCE Sontra Medical Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.sontra.com
CONTACT:
Sean Moran, CFO of Sontra Medical
Corporation, +1-508-553-8850; or Erica Pettit, +1-212-896-1248,
or Thomas Walsh, +1-212-896-1289, both of KCSA Worldwide
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