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NitroMed Board Appoints New Senior Management
LEXINGTON, MA
March 21, 2006
The Board of Directors of NitroMed, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTMD) today announced
that Dr. Argeris (Jerry) Karabelas, current Chairman of NitroMed’s
Board of Directors, has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer
of NitroMed, in addition to his role as Chairman. Dr. Karabelas succeeds
Dr. Michael Loberg, who resigned from his position as NitroMed’s
President, Chief Executive Officer and director effective today.
Dr. Karabelas is a partner of Care Capital, LLC, a life sciences investment
firm. Prior to joining Care Capital, Dr. Karabelas was Chief Executive
Officer of Worldwide Pharmaceuticals at Novartis AG. His career in
the pharmaceutical business includes leadership of SmithKline Beecham’s
global pharmaceutical business.
The Board also announced the appointment of Kenneth Bate as Chief
Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of NitroMed. Mr. Bate
succeeds Dr. Lawrence Bloch, who resigned from his position as NitroMed’s
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer effective today.
Mr. Bate has held positions as Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial
Operations and Chief Financial Officer of Millennium Pharmaceuticals
and as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Chief Financial Officer
at Biogen (now Biogen Idec). He is a founding partner of JSB Partners.
“We would like to thank Michael Loberg and Larry Bloch for their
work in steering BiDil® through development, approval and bringing
this important medicine to market,” Dr. Karabelas said.
Webcast and Conference Call
NitroMed will host a webcast and conference call, including an open
question and answer session to discuss the new senior management team.
Date: Wednesday March 22, 2006
Time: 10 am ET
Access by Conference Call:
Domestic callers: Dial 866-770-7129
International callers: Dial 617-213-8067
Participant passcode: 90241061
Access by Webcast:
Go www.nitromed.com and follow
instructions for the live webcast.
Participants may register in advance.
An audio replay of the call will be available two hours after the
call. The replay can be accessed by dialing 888-286-8010. International
callers should dial 617-801-6888. The replay passcode ID for all callers
is 16906412. In addition, an audio webcast of the call will be archived
on the NitroMed website for an indefinite period of time.
About NitroMed, Inc.
NitroMed of Lexington, Massachusetts is a research-based emerging
pharmaceutical company and the maker of BiDil¨ (isosorbide dinitrate/hydralazine
hydrochloride), an orally administered medicine available in the United
States for the treatment of heart failure in self-identified black
patients. In this population, BiDil is indicated as an adjunct to
current standard therapies such as ACE inhibitors and/or beta blockers.
There is little experience in patients with New York Heart Association
class IV heart failure. BiDil was approved in June 2005 by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, primarily on the basis of efficacy data
from the CompanyÕs landmark African American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT),
and since July 2005, has been marketed by NitroMed through a nationwide,
dedicated contract sales force. The Company is committed to the development
of novel pharmaceuticals and safer, more effective versions of existing
drugs to treat underserved patient populations. NitroMedÕs development
efforts are primarily directed at expanding its cardiovascular franchise.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans
and prospects for the Company, constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated
by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including risks relating to: the CompanyÕs ability to transition
its senior management team effectively, if at all; patient, physician
and third-payer acceptance of BiDil as a safe and effective therapeutic;
the CompanyÕs ability to obtain preferential reimbursement treatment
for BiDil, if at all, and the impact of obtaining such preferential
reimbursement treatment on BiDil sales, if any; the CompanyÕs ability
to effectively and efficiently transition its contract sales force
to NitroMed within the time frame expected, if at all; the CompanyÕs
ability to successfully market and sell BiDil with reduced sales force
representation; the impact, if any, of practice guidelines and peer-reviewed
publications on market acceptance of BiDil; the effectiveness of the
CompanyÕs marketing and sales strategy; the Company's ability to develop
and maintain the necessary sales, marketing and manufacturing capabilities
to launch and commercialize BiDil; unanticipated difficulties in maintaining
regulatory approvals to market and sell BiDil; adverse side effects
experienced by patients taking BiDil; the Company's ability to obtain
or maintain intellectual property protection and required licenses;
the Company's ability to obtain the substantial additional funding
required to conduct manufacturing, marketing and sales of BiDil; unanticipated
operating expenses for the remainder of the fiscal year 2006 and other
factors discussed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2005, which has been filed with the SEC. In addition,
the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent
the Company's views as of the date of this release. The Company anticipates
that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views
to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking
statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims
any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not
be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date
subsequent to the date of this release.
For full prescribing information, visit: www.BiDil.com.
BiDil is a registered trademark of NitroMed,
Inc.
Contacts:
Sondra Newman, Investor Relations
P: 781.266.4197
C: 781.640.3088
Jane Kramer, Media
P: 781.266.4220
C: 781.640.8499
Source: NitroMed, Inc.
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