REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Arginox Pharmaceuticals, an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Robert Terifay as President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Terifay, who has more than 20 years of experience in the life science industry, will be responsible for leading the company’s operations. Terifay most recently served as the commercial leader on the executive management team of Synta Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for overall business strategy and development of the infrastructure for a commercial organization.
“Bob’s strategic and operational experience in delivering breakthrough products for human health will be extremely valuable to Arginox as we work to complete the TRIUMPH trial, a global pivotal Phase 3 trial to treat patients with cardiogenic shock, one of the most serious complications of a heart attack,” said Kenneth E. Drazan, M.D., Arginox’s Chief Executive Officer. “We will benefit immensely from Bob’s experience, proven record of success and passion for delivering new medicines to the marketplace. He joins Arginox at a critical point in our company’s development as we prepare for the commercialization of Tilarginine Acetate Injection and expand our business. Bob’s arrival will help ensure that we harness this potential and fully realize the growth opportunities before us.”
“There aren’t many times in a career when the opportunity presents to work in an area of truly unmet medical need. I am excited to join Arginox and their effort to answer an important scientific question in the area of cardiogenic shock, a deadly complication of heart attack, which, despite all of the advances in pharmacological and device therapies, remains the leading cause of death in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction,” commented Terifay.
Prior to joining Synta, Terifay held senior executive positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and COR Therapeutics, where he created and managed the marketing functions for both oncology and acute cardiovascular products. At COR Therapeutics, Terifay was responsible for establishment of the company’s commercial presence in the acute care cardiovascular market, taking the company’s first product, INTEGRILIN(R) (eptifibatide) Injection to market, where it became the most commonly used GP IIb-IIIa inhibitor in the U.S. When Millennium acquired COR in 2002, Terifay assumed commercial leadership of the oncology group where he led the launch of Velcade(R) (bortezomib), the first new treatment for multiple myeloma in more than ten years.
“I appreciate all of the opportunities and experiences that the pharmaceutical and biotech industries have provided to me during my 20 plus-year career. I’m thrilled to bring that experience to Arginox where I hope to positively impact the commercial planning for Tilarginine Acetate Injection, and contribute to the growth and development of the company,” commented Terifay.
Before joining COR and Millennium, Terifay was executive vice president at Klemtner Advertising and also spent eight years with G. D. Searle and Company in a variety of sales and marketing leadership positions. Terifay earned a Masters of Management in Marketing and Health Service Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Notre Dame.
About Arginox
Arginox Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of breakthrough medicines to treat hospitalized patients. The company’s initial area of research and development is directed at nitric oxide-mediated pathways, which have been shown in Nobel prize-winning research to play a role in a range of disease states. Arginox’s lead compound, Tilarginine Acetate Injection, is in late-stage clinical evaluation for the treatment of cardiogenic shock. For more information, please visit http://www.arginox.com.
Media Contact: Carol Cartwright (800) 477-9626 carolc@mcspr.com Company Contact: Grendel Burrell (650) 517-0105 gburrell@arginox.com
Arginox Pharmaceuticals
CONTACT: Media: Carol Cartwright, 1-800-477-9626, carolc@mcspr.com; orGrendel Burrell of Arginox Pharmaceuticals, +1-650-517-0105,gburrell@arginox.com
Web site: http://www.arginox.com/
