BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerovance Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of clinical-stage drugs targeting severe respiratory and inflammatory diseases, today announced that Mark L. Perry, current chairman of the board, has been elected to the position of executive chairman, and Douglas E. Williams Ph.D. has been appointed a director.
Perry, 50, is a senior business advisor at Gilead Sciences Inc. who joined the Aerovance board in October 2004. He also serves as a director of Nvidia Corporation and Nuvelo Inc. From 1994 to 2004, Perry held a variety of executive positions at Gilead, including general counsel, chief financial officer and executive vice president of operations. From 1981 to 1994, he worked with the law firm of Cooley Godward LLP, where he focused his practice in the areas of corporate and securities law with an emphasis on the life sciences.
Williams, 48, is the executive vice president of research and development and the chief scientific officer of ZymoGenetics Inc. He has extensive knowledge of the role of growth factors in human disease. Prior to joining ZymoGenetics, Williams held a wide range of positions with Seattle Genetics, Genesis Research & Development, Amgen Washington and Immunex Corp. He has substantial experience in the research and development of interleukin therapeutics, and he was involved in the development of Enbrel and Leukine.
"We are pleased with the election of Mark to the position of executive chairman," said William J. Newell, Aerovance's president. "Mark's experience at Gilead and as a board member of several companies is invaluable to us as we continue to build Aerovance. Furthermore, Doug's experience in the interleukin space provides us with important insights to our clinical programs, especially our rapidly progressing IL-4/IL-13 asthma candidate. His appointment provides external validation of the promising therapeutics that we are developing."
Aerovance is a Berkeley, Calif.-based company that is focused on the development and commercialization of biologics for respiratory and inflammatory diseases. The company's lead products are Aerovant(TM), an IL4/13 receptor antagonist for severe asthma and eczema that is currently in Phase 2 clinical studies, and Aerolytic(TM), a recombinant protein for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that is currently in Phase 2 clinical studies. In addition to these investigational products, Aerovance has several preclinical programs in respiratory disease.
For more information, visit http://www.aerovance.com. Contact: Tracey Milani or David Schull Noonan Russo 858.546.4811 tracey.milani@eurorscg.comdavid.schull@eurorscg.com
Aerovance Inc.CONTACT: Tracey Milani, tracey.milani@eurorscg.com, or David Schull,david.schull@eurorscg.com, both of Noonan Russo for Aerovance,+1-858-546-4811
Web site: http://www.aerovance.com/
