BRANFORD, Conn., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CuraGen Corporation , a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, announced today that Ronit Simantov, M.D., has joined CuraGen as Vice President of Medical Development.
Dr. Simantov is a seasoned and accomplished clinical oncologist with experience obtained in both pharmaceutical and academic positions. In her previous position at Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Simantov played a key role in the successful clinical development, registration, and launch of Nexavar(R) (sorafenib), which was approved by the FDA in 2005. During her academic career, Dr. Simantov conducted research into the modulation of angiogenesis in cancer, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
“We believe that Ronit has the right expertise to assist us in the evaluation of the data being generated from our three clinical oncology programs, and to support the preparations being made to potentially transition one or more of these products into Phase III during 2008,” commented Timothy Shannon, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of CuraGen. “Her addition to the team currently in place provides CuraGen with a talented, and very experienced, group of individuals who have a history of successfully bringing products through clinical development and onto market.”
Prior to joining CuraGen, Dr. Simantov held positions of increasing responsibility at Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals from June 2003 through August 2007, and was most recently Director, Global Clinical Leader, Oncology during which she was responsible for the global development of Nexavar(R) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and medical lead for regulatory submissions leading to the world-wide approval of Nexavar(R) in renal cell cancer. Previous to her tenure at Bayer, Dr. Simantov was an Assistant Attending Physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical Center from 1996 through 2003 and Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, where she was Director of the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Simantov earned her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and her M.D. from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Simantov completed her Residency in Internal Medicine, was a Clinical Fellow in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and received board certification in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology.
About CuraGen
CuraGen Corporation is a dedicated clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing diverse approaches, including novel protein, antibody, antibody-drug conjugate and small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and for cancer supportive care. CuraGen is currently conducting clinical trials to investigate the potential of velafermin, belinostat and CR011-vcMMAE. By leveraging the drug development strengths cultivated over the years, CuraGen expects to make a difference by advancing its promising therapeutics to address the unmet medical needs of cancer patients. CuraGen Corporation is headquartered in Branford, Connecticut. For additional information please visit http://www.curagen.com .
Safe Harbor
Statements in this press release regarding management’s future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans or prospects, including statements relating to Dr. Simantov’s experience as it relates to the evaluation of data generated from the Company’s clinical oncology programs and her ability to advance such programs into Phase III clinical trials during 2008, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “could increase the likelihood,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “is planned,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “will enable,” “would be expected,” “look forward,” “may provide,” “would” or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors including the risk that any one or more of CuraGen’s drug development programs will not proceed as planned for technical, scientific or commercial reasons or due to patient enrollment issues or based on new information from nonclinical or clinical studies or from other sources, the success of competing products and technologies, CuraGen’s stage of development as a biopharmaceutical company, government regulation and healthcare reform, technological uncertainty and product development risks, product liability exposure, uncertainty of additional funding, CuraGen’s history of incurring losses and the uncertainty of achieving profitability, reliance on research collaborations and strategic alliances, competition, patent infringement claims against CuraGen’s products, processes and technologies, CuraGen’s ability to protect its patents and proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to commercialization rights, as well as those risks, uncertainties and factors referred to in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2007, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the section “Risk Factors,” as well as other documents that may be filed by CuraGen from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of such risks, uncertainties and factors, the Company’s actual results may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements discussed in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. CuraGen is providing the information in this press release as of this date and assumes no obligations to update the information included in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CRGN-G CuraGen Contact: Glenn Schulman, Pharm.D. Director of Investor Relations gschulman@curagen.com (888) 436-6642
CuraGen Corporation
CONTACT: Glenn Schulman, Pharm.D., Director of Investor Relations ofCuraGen Corporation, +1-888-436-6642, gschulman@curagen.com
Web site: http://www.curagen.com/
