Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Adds Thomas Kosten, M.D. To Its Scientific Advisory Board
CORAL GABLES, Fla., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced that it has added Dr. Thomas Kosten to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Kosten is Waggoner Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine and former Professor and Chief of Psychiatry at Yale University and VA Connecticut. He is also Research Director of the VA National Substance Use Disorders Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) based at the Houston VA. Further, Dr. Kosten is founder of the Division of Substance Abuse at Baylor and Yale and directs their National Institute of Health ("NIH") Medications Development Center for substance abuse.
Dr. Kosten has been supported by a Research Scientist Award from the NIH since 1987 and has served on national and international review groups for medications development in substance abuse. He has been a Congressional Fellow in the House of Representatives and visiting Professor in Germany, Spain, Greece, China and Canada. He is the founding Vice Chair for Added Qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a Distinguished Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association and fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Past President of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and President of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. He has several major awards for clinical research, and is Editor of two major Journals in substance abuse and been on the American Journal of Psychiatry board.
Recent work includes serving on the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine committee on vaccines for substance abuse. From his studies in substance dependence, post traumatic stress disorder, and neuroimaging, he has published over 450 papers, books and reviews. His neuroimaging research includes detecting and treating cocaine induced cerebral perfusion defects, and using functional MRI to predict pharmacotherapy outcome. He has been involved in clinical trials involving such products as a potential vaccine to treat cocaine addiction, immunotherapy for hallucinogens, buprenorphine for opioid dependence, disulfiram for cocaine dependence, vasodilators for cocaine induced cerebral perfusion defects, and combining medications with contingency management for opioid and cocaine dependence.
Dr. Stephen Dewey, the Chairman of Catalyst's Scientific Advisory Board, stated: "We are pleased that Dr. Kosten has agreed to join us. Dr. Kosten, a board certified psychiatrist, brings more than 25 years of clinical trial experience in the development of pharmacotherapies for substance abuse. The breadth of his expertise spans both preclinical and clinical research efforts, bringing a unique strength to our Scientific Advisory Board."
Patrick J. McEnany, Catalyst's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Dr. Kosten brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of pharmacotherapies to treat substance abuse, especially for cocaine addiction. We believe that Dr. Kosten's presence on our Scientific Advisory Board will help us advance the development of CPP-109 to treat cocaine and methamphetamine dependence."
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of prescription drugs for the treatment of addiction. The Company's initial product candidate is CPP-109, which is based on the compound gamma-vinyl-GABA, commonly referred to as vigabatrin. CPP-109 has been granted "Fast Track" status by the FDA, which means that the FDA has recognized cocaine and methamphetamine addiction as an unmet medical need for which no pharmacological products are currently approved for marketing.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Many factors could adversely impact the accuracy of the forward looking statements contained in this press release, including those risk factors and other factors described in the Company's Prospectus, dated November 7, 2006, and in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter of fiscal 2006. Both of these documents have been filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies of the Company's filings with the SEC are available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the Company. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.
Catalyst Pharmaceutical PartnersCONTACT: Patrick J. McEnany, Chief Executive Officer, orpmcenany@catalystpharma.com, or Jack Weinstein, Chief Financial Officer,jweinstein@catalystpharma.com, both of Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners,+1-305-529-2522