NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IMMUNE
Pharmaceuticals, an emerging leader in the development of Antibody
based Therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and
cancer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Alan Harris, M.D., Ph.D., to the position of
Chief Medical Officer. In this new position, Dr. Harris will
play a pivotal role in the development of Bertilimumab,
IMMUNE's phase II ready fully human monoclonal antibody in
development for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, as
well as NanoMAb development candidates in oncology. NanoMAbs
are next generation bio- therapeutics with targeting mAbs
conjugated to drug loaded nanoparticules.
"Alan brings impressive credentials and pharmaceutical clinical
development experience to the IMMUNE team," said Dr.
Daniel Teper, Founder, Chairman of
the Board and Chief Executive Officer of IMMUNE
Pharmaceuticals. "We are delighted to attract someone of
Alan's caliber to our growing organization. He will be a
tremendous asset and play a critical role as IMMUNE evolves into a
clinical stage company."
Dr. Harris led the clinical development of Novartis'
somatostatin analogue, octreotide (Sandostatin®), for the treatment
of gastrointestinal tumors and endocrine diseases. More than
20 years after its introduction, Sandostatin remains a leading
therapy, with sales reaching $1.4
billion in 2010. Dr. Harris has also held leadership
positions overseeing the clinical development of small
molecules and biologics as Vice President of Research at Schering
Plough, Therapeutic Head of Endocrinology at Pfizer, Senior Vice
President of R & D and Chief Medical Officer at NPS
Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Harris is currently Adjunct Professor in the Department of
Pharmacology at NYU Medical Center in New
York, and was previously Associate Professor of Medicine at
UCLA Medical School and Director of the Division of Clinical
Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed scientific
articles.
Dr. Harris is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and
the Royal College of Physicians (UK). He received his MD from the
University of Strasbourg, France
and his Ph.D. in endocrinology from Erasmus
University, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands.
"I am thrilled and gratified to join the IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals'
Management Team to lead the clinical development of its first in
class fully human monoclonal antibody antagonist of eotaxin-1, a
proinflammatory chemokine, in the treatment of inflammatory bowel
diseases and other conditions of great medical need. Bertilimumab
is supported by a strong scientific rationale and a solid
regulatory file. Phase II trials will help determine its potential
as a novel treatment option," said Dr Harris.
IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals will be presenting at the Rodman
& Renshaw Conference on September 13,
2011 at 3.40 pm in the
Metropolitan East Room at the Waldorf Astoria, New York.
About IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals
IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals is an Israel and U.S. based biopharmaceutical
company focused on the development of next generation monoclonal
antibodies addressing significant unmet medical needs in the
treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. IMMUNE
Pharmaceuticals has built a robust pipeline of clinical and
pre-clinical candidates based on novel targets and best-in-class
antibody technologies. IMMUNE licensed worldwide rights for
systemic indications of Bertilimumab from iCo Therapeutics (TSX:
ICO) in June 2011, while iCo retained
rights to all ophthalmic indications. iCo originally licensed
the exclusive world-wide rights to Bertilimumab in 2006 from
MedImmune Limited (formerly known as Cambridge Antibody Technology
Limited), the Global Biologics Unit of AstraZeneca.
For more information, visit the Company website
at: www.immunepharmaceuticals.com
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may be
considered forward-looking. Such statements involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from those implied by such statements, and therefore
these statements should not be read as guarantees of future
performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based
IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals current beliefs as well as assumptions
made by and information currently available to IMMUNE
Pharmaceuticals and relate to, among other things, anticipated
financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory
developments, market acceptance and future commitments. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press
release. Due to risks and uncertainties; actual events may
differ materially from current expectations. IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals
disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
Mr. Serge Goldner, Chief Financial
Officer
IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals
+972505203100 serge.goldner@immunepharma.com
Ms Justyna Figiel, Media and
Investor Relations
IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals
347-437-0218 justyna.figiel@immunepharma.com
Mrs. Marcy Nanus, Vice
President
The Trout Group, LLC.
646-378-2927, mnanus@troutgroup.com
SOURCE IMMUNE Pharmaceuticals
