MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Peter D. Noymer, PhD has been promoted to Vice President, Product Research & Development. In this new position, he will have oversight responsibilities for device engineering, product development and pharmaceutical development for Alexza’s technology programs.
Dr. Noymer joined Alexza in 2006 and was most recently Senior Director, Product Research & Development. From 1999 to 2006, Dr. Noymer held various management positions at Aradigm Corporation, developing drug delivery combination products for both inhalation and injection. Prior to joining Aradigm, he held an appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as various engineering positions at General Electric. Dr. Noymer received MS and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT, and a BS degree in mechanical & aerospace engineering from Princeton University.
“We are very pleased to announce Peter’s promotion and welcome him to our management team,” said James V. Cassella, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research & Development. “Peter and the Product R&D team have made significant contributions to Alexza’s technology base and product pipeline, and we look forward to leveraging his leadership and experience in product development as Alexza moves rapidly toward commercialization of its products.”
About Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Alexza Pharmaceuticals is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, proprietary products for the treatment of acute and intermittent conditions. The Company’s technology, the Staccato(R) system, vaporizes unformulated drug to form a condensation aerosol that allows rapid systemic drug delivery through deep lung inhalation. The drug is quickly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream, providing speed of therapeutic onset that is comparable to intravenous administration, but with greater ease, patient comfort and convenience.
Alexza’s lead program is AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine) and is being developed for the acute treatment of agitation in schizophrenic or bipolar disorder patients. Alexza has completed and announced positive results from both of its AZ-004 Phase 3 clinical trials, and is projecting a New Drug Application submission in early 2010. The Company has completed an end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine), and it has advanced AZ-104 (Staccato loxapine) into Phase 2b testing, both product candidates being developed for the acute treatment of migraine headache. AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) has completed Phase 1 testing and a Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial. Product candidates that have completed Phase 1 testing are AZ-003 (Staccato fentanyl) for the treatment of breakthrough pain and AZ-007 (Staccato zaleplon) for the treatment of insomnia. More information, including this and past press releases from Alexza, is available online at www.alexza.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the development and potential commercialization of the Company’s product candidates. Any statement describing a product candidate or Alexza’s goals, expectations or beliefs is a forward-looking statement, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of developing and commercializing drugs. The Company’s forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they prove incorrect, would cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Alexza’s business are described in additional detail in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and the Company’s other Periodic and Current Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Thomas B. King, President & CEO of Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
+1-650-944-7634, tking@alexza.com
Web site: http://www.alexza.com/
