ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EpiCept Corporation announced today that it has appointed Michael C. Damask, M.D. as the Company's Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs. He brings to EpiCept over thirty years of experience in clinical research and drug development. Prior to this position, Dr. Damask was a clinical development and medical affairs consultant for Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company devoted to identifying, developing and marketing innovative products in the fields of urology, gynecology & obstetrics, gastroenterology and endocrinology.
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"Dr. Damask brings to EpiCept a particular expertise in developing analgesic products," stated Jack V. Talley, president and chief executive officer of EpiCept. "For over three decades he has held a number of important positions within the medical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in academia. His experience, particularly in protocol development and working with the FDA, will be invaluable as we advance our products through clinical trials."
Prior to Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Damask held a senior position in the Risk Management Division (area of pain management) at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC, where he was the primary liaison between benefit risk management and internal customers. Before that, he served as president of Damask and Associates, a pharmaceutical consulting firm where he spent 5 years conducting clinical research. Dr. Damask also served as the Senior Medical Director at Purdue Pharma in the Clinical Research Department where he directed the clinical development and clinical research programs. He was also the Senior Director for the Clinical Research and Development, Medical Affairs and Medical Information department at Knoll Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for the line extension of analgesic products, the Phase III and IV analgesic drug development program and was the clinical team leader for regional and international project teams for analgesic drug development. In addition to his corporate positions, Dr. Damask was the chief resident and fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and an assistant professor for the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia University.
Dr. Damask received his M.D. from Chicago Medical School and his B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a past recipient of the Ohmeda President's Award, is a member of several professional societies, and has published in a number of journals.
About EpiCept Corporation
EpiCept is an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on unmet needs in the treatment of pain and cancer. The company has a staged portfolio with several pain therapies in late-stage clinical trials, and a lead oncology compound (for AML) with demonstrated efficacy in a Phase III trial; the compound is intended for commercialization in Europe. EpiCept is based in New Jersey, and the company's R&D team in San Diego is pursuing a drug discovery program focused on novel approaches to apoptosis.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "continues," "forecast," "designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. These factors and others are more fully discussed in EpiCept's periodic reports and other filings with the SEC.
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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020513/NYM112LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comEpiCept CorporationCONTACT: Robert W. Cook of EpiCept Corporation, +1-201-894-8980,rcook@epicept.com; or Francesca T. DeVellis of Feinstein Kean Healthcare,+1-617-577-8110, francesca.devellis@fkhealth.com
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