TARRYTOWN, N.Y., June 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Emisphere
Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: EMIS) today announced that Laura Kragie, M.D.,
has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Clinical
Development and Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Kragie is
the previous President and Chief Scientific Officer of Kragie BioMedWorks,
a strategic regulatory consulting group. Emisphere Technologies, Inc. is a
biopharmaceutical company pioneering the oral delivery of otherwise
injectable drugs. Dr. Kragie will report directly to Michael V. Novinski,
President and CEO of Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
"Dr. Kragie's rich experience as a Medical Officer with the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER) working on regulatory review on a wide array of drug products, along
with her deep knowledge of the many facets of biotech, are among the many
skills Dr. Kragie brings to Emisphere," said Mr. Novinski. "Dr. Kragie also
brings a real sense of business management, deep clinical trial experience
and varied pharmaceutical development skills. We are very excited to have
her bring this wealth of experience to Emisphere."
At BioMedWorks, Dr. Kragie specialized in pipeline and drug development
strategies, efficacy and safety determination, biomarker/surrogate
endpoints, intellectual property portfolio development, and regulatory
strategies. She guided her clients at all stages of their FDA regulatory
processes, from the pre-IND meeting all the way through to launch and
post-approval phases.
Dr. Kragie also investigated unmet clinical needs and new indications
for approved drugs. Dr. Kragie's research and nonprofit efforts worked to
generate and communicate knowledge regarding food, drug and environmental
interactions with endocrine systems and their impact on health and disease.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Emisphere team. I see so much positive
potential in their pipeline and partnerships," said Dr. Kragie. "I am eager
to start the expansion of their technologies into the development of more
new therapies that will truly impact patient welfare and save lives."
Emisphere's broad-based oral drug delivery technology platform, known
as the eligen(R) technology, is based on the use of proprietary, synthetic
chemical compounds, known as Emisphere(R) delivery agents, or "carriers."
Emisphere's eligen(R) technology makes it possible to orally deliver a
therapeutic molecule without altering its chemical form or biological
integrity.
Dr. Kragie received her BS in Biology, Psychology and Biochemistry from
the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and her Medical Doctorate
from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Dr. Kragie received an individual
NIH Physician Scientist Award and performed her postdoctoral Translational
Science research fellowship at the State University of New York at Buffalo,
in the areas of Internal Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology, and
Endocrinology. She went on to join the faculties of both Harvard and
Georgetown Medical Universities. She has authored several significant
research publications in areas of pharmacology, drug membrane transporters,
p450 metabolism, and reproductive endocrinology. She was born in Oak Park,
Illinois.
About Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
Emisphere Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: EMIS) is a biopharmaceutical
company specializing in the oral delivery of otherwise injectable drugs.
Emisphere's business strategy is to develop oral forms of injectable drugs,
either on its own or with corporate partners, by applying its proprietary
eligen(R) technology to those drugs or by licensing its eligen(R)
technology to partners who typically apply it directly to their marketed
drugs. Emisphere's eligen(R) technology has enabled the oral delivery of
proteins, peptides, macromolecules and charged organics. Emisphere and its
partners have advanced oral formulations or prototypes of salmon
calcitonin, heparin, insulin, parathyroid hormone, human growth hormone and
cromolyn sodium into clinical trials. For further information, please visit
http://www.emisphere.com.
Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements
The statements in this release and oral statements made by
representatives of Emisphere relating to matters that are not historical
facts (including without limitation those regarding the timing or potential
outcomes of research collaborations or clinical trials, any market that
might develop for any of Emisphere's product candidates and the sufficiency
of Emisphere's cash and other capital resources) are forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited
to, the likelihood that future research will prove successful, the
likelihood that any product in the research pipeline will receive
regulatory approval in the United States or abroad, the ability of
Emisphere and/or its partners to develop, manufacture and commercialize
products using Emisphere's drug delivery technology, Emisphere's ability to
fund such efforts with or without partners, and other risks and
uncertainties detailed in Emisphere's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption
"Risk Factors" in Emisphere's Annual Report on Form 10-K (file no. 1-10615)
filed on March 5, 2007.
SOURCE Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.emisphere.com/
CONTACT:
Bob Madison, Corporate Communications,
Emisphere Technologies, Inc., +1-917-664-4062
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