PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiokine, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs for the treatment of heart failure and related indications, today announced that Dr. Manuel Worcel has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. He also will serve as a Director of the company.
“Dr. Worcel brings an impressive history of industry experience and accomplishment to Cardiokine, and we are fortunate to have recruited him as the company’s chief executive,” said James H. Cavanaugh, Ph.D., Chairman of Cardiokine’s Board of Directors. “Dr. Worcel’s cardiovascular expertise should be invaluable in helping to maximize the potential for success of the Phase III clinical program for lixivaptan, Cardiokine’s lead compound being developed in partnership with Biogen Idec.”
Dr. Worcel joins Cardiokine from NitroMed, which he founded in 1993 and where he served in the roles of Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Medical Officer. Previously, he was Head of Cardiovascular Research and Development at Ciba Geigy (now Novartis) and Head of Research and Development at Roussel Hoechst (now Sanofi Aventis).
Dr. Worcel commented, “Cardiokine’s lead drug candidate lixivaptan has a unique mechanism of action with the potential to address a serious unmet medical need affecting millions of patients worldwide, and I am delighted to join the company at this exciting time as we advance our Phase III clinical program with our partner Biogen Idec. "
Prior to joining industry, Dr. Worcel was a professor at the Institut de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in France. A Fellow of the Hypertension Council of the American Heart Association, Dr. Worcel received an M.D. degree from the University of Buenos Aires.
About Cardiokine
Cardiokine, headquartered in Philadelphia, is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of pharmaceuticals for the treatment and prevention of heart failure and related cardiovascular and metabolic indications. Its lead compound lixivaptan, an oral, selective V2 vasopressin receptor antagonist in Phase III clinical trials, causes water to be excreted from the kidney with minimal impact on sodium or other electrolytes. Based on this unique mechanism of action, lixivaptan has shown promise in the treatment of disease states associated with water retention and electrolyte imbalance, such as congestive heart failure. Additional information about Cardiokine is available at www.cardiokine.com.
Contacts: Corporate: Media: Federica O’Brien, Chief Financial Officer Barbara Lindheim Cardiokine, Inc. GendeLLindheim BioCom Partners (215) 399-1200 (212) 918-4650
Source: Cardiokine, Inc.
