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Press Release
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Investment Banking Executive Ira Z. Leiderman and Dr. Mary Ann Gray join the Board of Directors at Apthera, Inc.
Mr. Leiderman appointed as Apthera’s Executive Chairman
Scottsdale, Arizona - October 9, 2009 - Apthera, Inc. ("Apthera") today
announced the appointments of Mr. Ira Z. Leiderman and Dr. Mary Ann Gray to the
Apthera Board as independent directors and the appointment of Mr. Leiderman as
its Executive Chairman.
"Apthera made a commitment to build an outstanding independent board
that will accelerate the development of Apthera and its lead product, NeuVaxTM,
an active specific immunotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Ira's
prior relationship with the Company, along with his extensive life sciences
industry knowledge and relationships, uniquely qualified him to assist the Company
in meeting its objectives," said Dr. Joseph Sinkule, Co-founder and Chief
Scientific Officer of Apthera.
In his role as Executive Chairman, Mr. Leiderman’s primary responsibilities
are to lead the Company’s effort to build an independent board, reevaluate
its strategies and goals, and to accelerate the Company’s product development
and partnering/alliance activities. "I have been tracking Apthera for some
time and believe its lead candidate, NeuVax, addresses a crucial medical need,
particularly in women with triple-negative breast cancer. With the FDA’s
acceptance of Apthera’s Phase III Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), the
Company's immediate focus is to position NeuVax for continued development, either
by partnering or raising sufficient capital to enter this pivotal stage of clinical
development. I am excited to play a role in taking Apthera in this direction,"
said Mr. Leiderman.
Dr. Mary Ann Gray presently serves on the board of two public biotechnology
companies. "We are excited that Dr. Gray has joined the Apthera board.
Mary Ann brings to Apthera a wealth of experience, which spans all areas of
building a successful biotech company," stated Dr. William Gannon, Co-founder
and Chief Medical Officer.
Apthera, Inc. today also announced the resignation of Dr. A. Charles Morgan
as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Morgan left the Company to
pursue other interests. Mr. Leiderman said, "Charles has devoted substantial
efforts in bringing Apthera forward. We plan to build on his work. We wish him
much success in his future endeavors."
About Apthera
Apthera, Inc. is a privately-held, Arizona-based biotechnology company developing
a pipeline of peptide-based active specific immunotherapies for cancers that
express HER2/neu, a well-validated and established oncology target. The Company’s
lead product, NeuVax, contains a patented peptide which has been documented
over the past 8 years to elevate or boost pre-existing anti-cancer immunity
in cancer patients. NeuVax’s initial indication is for front-line therapy
of early-stage breast cancer patients who express HER2/neu but don’t qualify
for trastuzumab (Herceptin®) or lapatinib (Tykerb®) therapy. For more
information about the Company visit www.apthera.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are
not historical facts and are subject to risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from
those set forth in or implied herein including, without limitation, risks associated
with clinical development, regulatory approvals, product commercialization,
intellectual property claims litigation and other risks associated with the
Company’s proposed activities.
Contact Apthera:
Robert E. Kennedy, CFO
(480) 348-9705
rkennedy@apthera.com
www.apthera.com
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