SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Exelixis, Inc. has appointed Arthur DeCillis, MD to the position of vice president, clinical research, and Anne Champsaur, MD to the position of vice president, drug safety. Both appointees will report to Gisela M. Schwab, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer.
"With 14 compounds in clinical development, and more expected as we move forward, effective management of our clinical pipeline is critical for our success," said Dr. Schwab. "Drs. DeCillis and Champsaur each have contributed to the development and commercialization of multiple products that have advanced patient care. We believe their expertise will enhance our ability to bring innovative therapies to market safely and efficiently. Our continued ability to attract and retain such experienced individuals reflects the numerous opportunities at Exelixis to make a positive difference in the lives of patients with cancer and other serious diseases."
Dr. DeCillis joins Exelixis from Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp., where he was senior and then executive director of Phase II/III Oncology Development. Previously, he held positions of increasing responsibility in Oncology Global Clinical Research at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., culminating as group director. Prior to his career in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. DeCillis was a member of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Outreach Program, both at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Medical College of Virginia. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners, and has served as a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Working Group on Economic Analysis in Phase III Clinical Trials and the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) Review Committee.
Dr. Champsaur joins Exelixis from CV Therapeutics, Inc., where she was executive director, Drug Safety -- Medical Affairs. Previously, she held senior director positions in the departments of Regulatory Affairs as well as Medical and Safety Services at ALZA Corp. and Worldwide Pharmacovigilance at Sangstat Corp., where she also was deputy head, Clinical Research and Regulatory. She also was director of Clinical Development and Pharmacovigilance and director of Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance at the IMTIX Transplant Business Unit of Pasteur-Merieux Connaught. Dr. Champsaur received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France and spent more than fifteen years engaged in clinical research in the areas of transplantation and burn healing.
About Exelixis
Exelixis, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. The company is leveraging its fully integrated drug discovery platform to fuel the growth of its development pipeline, which is primarily focused on cancer. Currently, Exelixis' broad product pipeline includes investigational compounds in Phase 2 and Phase 1 clinical development for cancer and renal disease. Exelixis has established strategic corporate alliances with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Genentech, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Sankyo. For more information, please visit the company's web site at http://www.exelixis.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements related to Exelixis' approach to drug development and the future development and therapeutic value of Exelixis compounds in clinical development. Words such as "believes," "expect," "will" and "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Exelixis' current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Exelixis' actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, the potential failure to demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical testing. These and other risk factors are discussed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Exelixis' quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2007 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Exelixis expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
Exelixis, Inc.CONTACT: Investors, Charles Butler, Director, Corporate Communications,+1-650-837-7277, cbutler@exelixis.com, or Media, Soleil Maxwell Harrison,Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-650-837-7012,sharrison@exelixis.com, both of Exelixis, Inc.
Web site: http://www.exelixis.com/
