SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today Ayse Kocak has joined the Company as Vice President of Marketing. Ms. Kocak will report to Paul Sekhri, Cerimon's President and CEO, and will be responsible for evaluating and developing commercial strategies around the company's evolving pain and autoimmune pipeline and managing the company's marketing efforts upon product approvals.
Ms. Kocak most recently served as Marketing Director for Pfizer's Geodon(R) U.S. Psychosis Team. In this position, Ms. Kocak oversaw the development and implementation of business strategies for Geodon, a drug for the treatment of schizophrenia, as well as acute mania and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder. During her tenure, sales of Geodon grew by over 30%, and Geodon is now the fastest-growing antipsychotic drug. Prior to this position, Ms. Kocak served as Marketing Director, Inspra(R) U.S. Team at Pfizer, and led the U.S. launch of Inspra for the treatment of patients who develop heart failure following a heart attack. Previously, Ms. Kocak served in multiple managerial positions in new product development, marketing and sales at Pfizer and its various subsidiaries around the world, including Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. In these markets she managed marketing and sales activities for a variety of Pfizer's blockbuster drugs, including Viagra(R), Norvasc(R), Lipitor(R), Tikosyn(R) and Glucotrol XL(R).
Prior to her career at Pfizer, Ms. Kocak served as a Finance Coordinator at Dogus Holding in Istanbul, Turkey, where she was responsible for the management of financial consolidation and analysis of all companies within the automotive group.
"In her 14-year career, including 12 years at Pfizer, Ayse has demonstrated a consistent ability to develop and implement successful product launches and to enhance the effectiveness of marketing programs already in place," commented Paul Sekhri. "Ayse's experience in product marketing and sales, as well as her extensive international network of physicians, clinicians, and thought leaders, will serve Cerimon well as we move Simulect(R) and topical diclofenac into the clinic and pursue additional product candidates to fill out our pipeline."
About Cerimon Pharmaceuticals
Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the physician who specializes in autoimmune disease, inflammation, and pain. The Company employs a corporate strategy of in-licensing clinical-stage or marketed drugs to reduce the development and regulatory risk, decrease time to market, and expand the commercial potential of known drugs. The Company currently has two drugs in development, a topical formulation of diclofenac sodium for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and Simulect for moderate-to-severe steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. Cerimon is well financed, having secured a $70 million Series A financing in late 2005 with the premier investors MPM, Nomura Phase 4 Ventures, and OrbiMed Advisors.
For more information on Cerimon, please visit the Company's website at http://www.cerimon.com.
NOTE: Geodon(R), Inspra(R), Viagra(R), Lipitor(R), Tikosyn(R), Glucotrol XL(R) and Norvasc(R) are all registered products of Pfizer. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.CONTACT: Jim Welch, Chief Financial Officer of Cerimon Pharmaceuticals,+1-650-827-4000, jwelch@cerimon.com; or Media, Justin Jackson,jjackson@burnsmc.com, or Jason Farber, jfarber@burnsmc.com, both of BurnsMcClellan, Inc. for Cerimon Pharmaceuticals
Web site: http://www.cerimon.com/
