RALEIGH, N.C., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- CLOSURE Medical Corporation
(Nasdaq: CLSR) today announced that Debra L. Pawl, 45, has been named Vice
President and General Counsel of the Company.
    Ms. Pawl previously served as Patent Manager for J.M. Huber Corporation, a
privately held $1.5 billion, multi-industrial natural resources and industrial
products company.  At Huber, she was responsible for directing all worldwide
intellectual property matters, including the drafting and negotiation of a
variety of agreements supporting technology transfers, licensing and business
partnering arrangements and divestitures.
    Prior to joining Huber, Ms. Pawl worked as a patent attorney for several
large chemical companies, including Standard Oil, Owens-Corning (NYSE: OWC)
and BF Goodrich (NYSE: GR), handling patent applications, patent prosecutions,
trademark and general intellectual property matters.  Ms. Pawl has a B.S. and
M.S. in Chemistry/Biology from John Carroll University and a J.D. degree from
the University of Toledo College of Law.
    "We are extremely pleased that Debbie has joined CLOSURE Medical
Corporation," said Mr. Robert V. Toni, President and Chief Executive Officer.
"She will be a valuable asset to the Company on our journey to the leadership
position in medical tissue cohesives."
    CLOSURE Medical develops, commercializes and manufactures medical cohesive
products based on its proprietary cyanoacrylate technology.  CLOSURE's
nonabsorbable products may be used to replace sutures and staples for certain
topical wound closure applications, while its absorbable products can
potentially be used as surgical sealants and cohesives for internal wound
closure and management.  Currently marketed products include DERMABOND* non-
absorbable cohesive used for certain topical wound closure applications,
marketed and distributed exclusively by Ethicon, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson
& Johnson, and Octyldent(R) non-absorbable tissue cohesive used in conjunction
with antibiotics to treat adult periodontal disease, and the Nexaband(R) line
of topical cohesives used in veterinary wound closure and management.
    This release contains certain forward-looking statements which involve
known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties or other factors not under the
Company's control which may cause actual results, performance or achievements
of the Company to be materially different from the results, performance, or
other expectations implied by these forward-looking statements.  These factors
include, but are not limited to, the early stage of commercialization of the
Company's products; scale-up of manufacturing processes; the need for
regulatory approval and effects of governmental regulation; technological
uncertainties; dependence on marketing partners; and dependence on patents and
trade secrets, as well as those detailed in the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997 and filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.

    * DERMABOND is a trademark of Ethicon, Inc.

Link to this page: