Attached files
file | filename |
---|---|
8-K - OXIGENE, INC. - Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. | b80343e8vk.htm |
Exhibit 99.1
Investor and Media Contact:
Michelle Edwards, Investor Relations
medwards@oxigene.com
650-635-7006
Michelle Edwards, Investor Relations
medwards@oxigene.com
650-635-7006
OXiGENE Appoints Tamar D. Howson and Peter J. Langecker
to its Board of Directors
to its Board of Directors
South San Francisco, CA April 5, 2010 OXiGENE, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company developing novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases, today announced the
appointment of Tamar Howson and its current CEO, Dr. Peter J. Langecker, to its Board of Directors.
Ms. Howsons successful career spans 20 years in the pharmaceutical business, and her track record
of nearly 100 transactions make her one of the industrys preeminent business development
executives.
Tamar Howson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of both big pharma and the biotechnology
industry to the OXiGENE Board, stated Peter J. Langecker, M.D., Ph.D., OXiGENEs CEO. Tamar
joins Oxigene at a time when we are looking to transform the company by establishing critical
partnerships and licensing agreements. Tamars outstanding track record in that space and her
tremendous expertise in evaluating and structuring transactions will be of significant help to
OXiGENE as we work to maximize the value of our exciting product candidates through corporate
partnerships. We look forward to her contributions and welcome her to the team.
Most
recently, Ms Howson has been a member of the transaction team at JSB Partners, a partnering
consulting firm specializing in the biotechnology industry. Previously, she served as Executive
Vice President of Corporate Development for Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Lexicon, she served
as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development and was a member of the executive
committee at Bristol-Myers Squibb. During her tenure there, Ms. Howson was responsible for leading
the companys efforts in external alliances, licensing and acquisitions. Earlier, Ms. Howson served
as Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development at SmithKline Beecham. She also
managed SR One Ltd., the $100 million venture capital fund of SmithKline Beecham. Ms. Howson has
served as an independent business consultant and adviser to companies both in the United States and
in Europe. She held the position of Vice President, Venture Investments at Johnston Associates, a
venture capital firm, and earlier as Director of Worldwide Business Development and Licensing for
Squibb Corporation.
Ms. Howson currently serves on the boards of Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDIX), a
biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of
human viral diseases, and S*Bio Pte Ltd. She also serves as a consultant to Pitango Venture Fund
and is a member of the advisory board to Triana Venture Partners. She previously served on the
boards of Ariad Pharmaceuticals,
more
OXGN Board Appointments
April 5, 2010
Page 2 of 2
April 5, 2010
Page 2 of 2
SkyePharma, NPS Pharma, Targacept, and HBA. Ms. Howson received her M.B.A. in finance and
international business from Columbia University. Educated as a chemical engineer, she holds a M.S.
from the City College of New York and a B.S. from the Technion in Israel.
Peter J. Langecker, M.D., Ph.D., who joined OXiGENE as Chief Development Officer in June 2009 and
who was named interim CEO in October 2009 and permanent CEO in February 2010, has also been
appointed to OXiGENEs Board of Directors. Dr. Langecker has over 20 years of experience in the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry at companies such as CIBA GEIGY, Schering-Plough, Coulter
Pharmaceuticals and SUGEN and he served six years on the Board of Directors of XCYTE Therapies in
Seattle.
I am delighted to welcome both Tamar Howson and Dr. Langecker to OXiGENEs Board of Directors,
stated William N. Shiebler, Chairman of the Board of OXiGENE. Tamar and Peter are highly
experienced executives with many years of leadership experience in the biotechnology industry.
Their insight and expertise will be invaluable to OXiGENE as we continue to execute our strategies
for building shareholder value through novel drug discovery and development.
About OXiGENE
OXiGENE is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics
to treat cancer and eye diseases. The Companys major focus is developing vascular disrupting
agents (VDAs) that selectively disrupt abnormal blood vessels associated with solid tumor
progression and visual impairment. OXiGENE is dedicated to leveraging its intellectual property
and therapeutic development expertise to bring life-extending and
life-enhancing medicines to patients.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect managements current views
regarding OXiGENEs continued product development operations, the value and potential of OXiGENEs
product candidates in development and the likelihood and potential of collaborations with third
parties. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not
limited to (i) OXiGENEs product candidates are in the early to mid-stage phases of clinical
development and the risk of failure is high and can occur at any stage prior to regulatory
approval; (ii) OXiGENE may not be successful in securing additional funding or commercialization
partners; (iii) OXiGENE may not be able to successfully obtain regulatory approval for product
candidates in development; (iv) OXiGENEs patent applications for product candidates may not issue,
its issued patents may not be enforceable; and/or intellectual property licenses from third
parties may be required in the future as a result of litigation or otherwise; and (v) other
important risks and uncertainties set forth in OXiGENEs most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
OXiGENE undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
# # #