BURLINGAME,
CA – DECEMBER 4,
2007
APT Pharmaceuticals
Adds Paul Sekhri
to Board of Directors
APT Pharmaceuticals, a specialty drug development company
primarily focused on inhaled treatments for serious lung
diseases, announced today that Paul Sekhri has joined its
Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Mr. Sekhri founded Cerimon Pharmaceuticals
in 2005 and currently serves as the company’s President and CEO. He is also
a board member for ARYx Therapeutics, the Cancer Research
Institute and the International Health Organization. Mr.
Sekhri’s previous positions include President and Chief
Business Officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice
President and Head of Global Search and Evaluation, Business
Development and Licensing, for Novartis Pharma AG.
“Paul brings a wealth of experience leading and growing
successful pharmaceutical companies,” explained Dr.
Stephen Dilly, President and CEO of APT Pharmaceuticals. “His
guidance will be a tremendous asset as we build a portfolio
of products to treat serious lung diseases and position the
company for its next stage of growth.”
“It is a privilege to join the APT board,” said
Mr. Sekhri. “The management team has the experience
and insights into the pulmonary space that will allow us
to bring important therapies to patients.”
Last June, APT finalized an agreement
with Novartis to acquire the worldwide rights to Pulminiq™,
an immunosuppressant that demonstrated a 78 percent reduction
in mortality in lung transplant patients compared with
the control group, according to a 2006 study conducted
by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and published
in the New England Journal of Medicine. APT will begin
a Phase III clinical trial of Pulminiq in early 2008.
In addition to Mr. Sekhri and Dr.
Dilly, APT’s Board
of Directors includes Dr. Albert Cha, Managing Partner, Vivo
Ventures; Mr. David Kroin, Managing Director, Great Point
Partners; Ms. Camille Samuels, Managing Director, Versant
Ventures and Mr. Fred Schwarzer, Managing Director, Charter
Life Sciences. Mr. Kroin and Ms. Samuels joined the board
in October when APT secured a $22 million round of Series
A-2 venture funding.
About APT Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
APT Pharmaceuticals, a specialty drug development company primarily focused on inhaled treatments for serious lung diseases, is based in Burlingame, California. APT is backed by several leading health care investors including Vivo Ventures, Versant Ventures, Great Point Partners and Charter Life Sciences. For more
information, please visit www.aptbio.com.
Media Contacts
Lisa Kelaita
New Venture Communications
lkelaita@newventurecom.com
(650) 343-2735
Ted Rossman
New Venture Communications
trossman@newventurecom.com
(914) 432-7083
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