MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Jeffrey S. Williams has rejoined the company in a part-time position as President, Alexza Singapore Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexza. Mr. Williams will have primary responsibilities in managing the Alexza subsidiary in Singapore and establishing potential joint ventures in Singapore. Alexza intends to initiate manufacturing operations for key components of Alexza’s single-dose Staccato(R) device in Singapore. Alexza’s single-dose Staccato devices are used in a majority of its current product candidates, including its lead program, AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine), which is in Phase 3 clinical testing for the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenic or bipolar disorder patients.
Mr. Williams will continue to serve as the Chief Business Officer for CoNCERT, Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in a part-time capacity. Prior to his tenure at CoNCERT, Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Williams held senior vice president positions in manufacturing, operations, and corporate/business development for Alexza Pharmaceuticals from March 2004 to November 2007. During 2001 - 2004, Mr. Williams served as Vice President, Corporate Development for Scion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy for EmerGen, Inc. Mr. Williams received an M.S. in management from the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and a B.A. in economics from Brigham Young University.
“We are very pleased to welcome Jeff back to Alexza in this newly created position and as a member of our management team,” said Thomas B. King, President and CEO. “Jeff’s broad experience will serve us well as we continue to advance our programs towards commercialization.”
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 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 has six product candidates in clinical development. Alexza’s lead program, AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine) for the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenic or bipolar disorder patients, is in Phase 3 testing. AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches has completed Phase 2 testing. AZ-104 (Staccato loxapine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches and AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) for the acute treatment of panic attacks associated with panic disorder are in Phase 2 testing. Product candidates in Phase 1 testing include AZ-003 (Staccato fentanyl) for the treatment of breakthrough pain, which is partnered with Endo Pharmaceuticals in North America, and AZ-007 (Staccato zaleplon) for the treatment of insomnia. More information, including this and past press releases from Alexza is available online at http://www.alexza.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Any statement describing the Company’s 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/
