SAN DIEGO, March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Akesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , an emerging diabetes company with novel clinical stage product candidates, announced today the addition of Michael C. Scaife, Ph.D. to its scientific advisory board.
“Involved in 15 successful product approvals throughout his career, Dr. Scaife will bring essential regulatory and product development experience to Akesis,” said Jay Lichter, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Akesis Pharmaceuticals. “We are fortunate to have him help guide development of our lead product candidate, AKP-020, a novel vanadium compound poised to enter Phase 2 trials in the second half of 2007.”
With over 25 years of pharmaceutical product development experience in the United States and Europe, Dr. Scaife most recently served as senior vice president of global regulatory affairs, quality and drug safety at Chiron Biopharma. Prior to that, Dr. Scaife worked as vice president of quality and regulatory affairs at Nektar Therapeutics and as vice president and global head of regulatory affairs and process improvement at Elan Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Scaife started his career in the United States as vice president of regulatory, clinical, quality and strategic evaluation at Novartis’ SyStemix & GTI.
Prior to Dr. Scaife’s work for Novartis in the United States, he served as global therapeutic head of CNS regulatory affairs at Novartis’ headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Scaife was corporate director of regulatory affairs at Zambon SpA, an Italian pharmaceutical company, and served 10 years at Johnson & Johnson, both in research and as head of medical and regulatory affairs in the United Kingdom. Dr. Scaife graduated from Bath University in 1978 with a bachelor of science in pharmacology and earned his doctor of philosophy in toxicology from Leicester School of Pharmacy in 1981.
Dr. Scaife will join Akesis’ current scientific advisory board members Chris Orvig, professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, and John McNeill, professor and dean emeritus, pharmaceutical sciences, both at the University of British Columbia. Prior to Akesis’ in-licensing of AKP-020, Professors Orvig and McNeil helped advance the AKP-020 program through Phase 1 clinical trials at the University of British Columbia.
About Akesis
Akesis is a pharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative prospective treatments for diabetes and other related metabolic disorders. The company possesses issued U.S. patents for both prescription and over-the-counter treatments, which uniquely combine anti-diabetic trace minerals with certain classes of diabetes oral agents. Akesis’ products have demonstrated preliminary evidence of lowering and controlling blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar control via oral drugs represents a multi billion-dollar industry in the United States. More information on the pipeline can be found at www.akesis.com and in the Company’s various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the future plans and intentions of the Company. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as “will”, “expects”, “should”, “believes”, “anticipates” or words or phrases of similar meaning. Examples of such statements include, without limitation, the statements of Dr. Lichter and the statements relating to the anticipated beginning of Phase 2 clinical trials for AKP-020. Stockholders, potential investors and other readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are predictions based only on current information and expectations that are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause future events or results to differ materially from those set forth or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain of those risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements are only made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Akesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Emily Zanovich of Porter Novelli Life Sciences, +1-619-849-5376,ezanovich@pnlifesciences.com, Media & Investor Relations for AkesisPharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.akesis.com/
