Rho Venture Capital: 2004 News

< 2004 News Listings

Archemix Names Page Bouchard Senior Vice President of Preclinical Drug Discovery and Development

Will Lead Archemix's Preclinical Drug Discovery
and Development Efforts

CAMBRIDGE, MA
November 4, 2004

Archemix Corp., the privately-held biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing aptamer therapeutics, announced today the appointment of Dr. Page Bouchard as Senior Vice President of Preclinical Drug Discovery and Development. Dr. Bouchard will have responsibility for directing the Company's preclinical pharmacology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and drug safety efforts.

"Page has extensive experience in the area of preclinical drug discovery and development and will lead this important multifunctional area at Archemix," said Dr. Errol De Souza, President and Chief Executive Officer of Archemix. "Page possesses the unique combination of scientific experience and leadership skills necessary to move our rapidly expanding pipeline of therapeutic aptamer leads into clinical development. We are delighted to have Page as a part of our team and look forward to his contributions to the development of aptamer therapeutic products and the generation of shareholder value."

"Archemix is at an exciting stage of its development," commented Dr. Bouchard. "The company's aptamer technology has the potential to bring forth an entirely new class of therapeutics for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases. I look forward to leveraging my experience with both biotherapeutics and small molecule drug candidates to this new class of therapeutics. The efficient integration of preclinical and clinical development activities with novel technology, rigorous science and focused strategic planning will lead to significant product opportunities."

Prior to joining Archemix, Dr. Bouchard was Vice President, Drug Safety Evaluation at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. In this position, Dr. Bouchard led the preclinical Drug Safety and Pathology organization, leading development projects to critical clinical and regulatory milestones. Prior to joining Millennium, Dr. Bouchard was Assistant Vice President of Pathology at Wyeth-Ayerst, heading the discovery support pathology, toxicologic pathology, clinical pathology and toxicogenomics efforts.

Dr. Bouchard received a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and a D.V.M. from Tufts University Veterinary School. He trained in veterinary pathology at Cornell Veterinary School and is board certified in veterinary pathology by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

About Aptamers
Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that form well-defined three-dimensional shapes, allowing them to bind to target molecules in a manner that is conceptually similar to antibodies. Aptamers combine the optimal characteristics of small molecules and antibodies, including high specificity and affinity, chemical and biological stability, low toxicity and immunogenicity and the ability to target protein-protein interactions. In contrast to monoclonal antibodies, aptamers are chemically synthesized rather than biologically expressed, offering a significant cost advantage. As therapeutic agents, aptamers have demonstrated clinical biological efficacy and have excellent, tunable pharmacokinetic properties.

About Archemix Corp.
Archemix Corp. is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company's mission is to develop aptamers as a class of directed therapeutics for the treatment of human disease. Because of their unique properties and proven efficacy, aptamers are a superior alternative to biologics and small molecules and will be a major class of drugs for the treatment of unmet medical needs.

Archemix's aptamer expertise is complemented by a dominant patent estate comprised of over 180 issued and 220 pending patents covering the identification, composition and use of therapeutic aptamers. In addition to the company's core aptamer generation technology, Archemix possesses strong expertise in both preclinical and clinical drug development. Further information about Archemix can be found at http://www.archemix.com.

For further information or to speak with Dr. Errol De Souza or Dr. Page Bouchard, please contact Davia Temin of Temin and Company at (212) 588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.