SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Athenagen Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today the appointment of Henry Hsu, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, a new position. Dr. Hsu joined Athenagen from CoTherix, Inc., where as Vice President for Clinical Research he was responsible for the clinical submission of a New Drug Application for Ventavis (inhaled iloprost), which was approved by the FDA in 2004 under priority review status.
“I am delighted to welcome Henry to our executive team,” commented W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. “His proven clinical accomplishments and significant expertise within the biotech industry will help us to realize the enormous potential value of our drug development pipeline.”
“Athenagen has a terrific combination of an experienced management team, unique market opportunities and a clear focus on what needs to be done to capitalize on its intellectual property,” stated Dr. Hsu. “This is a very exciting time for Athenagen, as we prepare to advance our lead drug candidates into clinical trials.”
Athenagen plans to introduce two drug candidates into the clinic in 2006: ATG001, an oral anti-angiogenesis compound, for exudative age-related macular degeneration and ATG002, a topical pro-angiogenesis compound, for diabetic foot ulcers.
Prior to CoTherix, Dr. Hsu served for four years as Vice President, Clinical Research at InterMune, Inc., and was responsible for leading clinical research and development in the liver and infectious diseases therapeutic areas. Previously, Dr. Hsu worked for five years at Chiron Corporation, where as Medical Director, Clinical Research, he conducted clinical research in the areas of vaccines and cytokines. He received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Hsu completed his training in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis, where he served as Chief Medical Resident. Additionally, he obtained subspecialty training in gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford University as well as completing a research fellowship in molecular virology as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow.
About Athenagen
Athenagen Inc., located in South San Francisco, is engaged in the development of small-molecule drugs designed to either inhibit or enhance angiogenesis, based on the discovery of a new endothelial cell angiogenesis pathway. Athenagen’s lead products are being developed as oral compounds to treat diseases caused by enhanced angiogenesis, such as cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as topical formulations to treat diseases caused by impaired angiogenesis, such as non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. The new angiogenesis pathway was discovered at Stanford University by a team led by Dr. John P. Cooke, a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine who is also a co-founder of Athenagen. The company recently announced its $5.69M Series A financing led by Sanderling Ventures, with participation from Life Science Angels. For more information: www.athenagen.com.
Athenagen Inc.
CONTACT: W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., President and CEO of Athenagen Inc.,+1-650-616-1920, or press@athenagen.com
Web site: http://www.athenagen.com/
