REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genitope Corporation today announced the appointment of Mary Rybak, M.D., as the company’s vice president of medical affairs. Dr. Rybak will be responsible for working with Genitope’s executive team to establish and execute the company’s long-term clinical strategy for MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy and other therapies in the company’s research and development pipeline.
In this role, Dr. Rybak will be responsible for overseeing clinical research, the implementation of clinical trials, the interpretation of the results of investigations and medical information programs.
“I’m excited by the promise of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy, and impressed by the data that has been produced with this therapy. MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy has tremendous potential to benefit patients and I look forward to exploring all clinical options to integrate it into treatment protocols for follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and related cancers,” said Dr. Rybak. “I am also eager to move forward with prospects in the pipeline, such as the promising monoclonal antibody program. It’s a great time to be at Genitope, and I’m thrilled to join the team.”
Dr. Rybak has more than 15 years of management and leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Genitope Corporation, Dr. Rybak was vice president of oncology at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (Johnson & Johnson PRD; formerly Janssen Research Foundation), where she oversaw the initial development of the company’s therapeutic oncology unit. She has extensive experience in oncology clinical trial management and led the team that submitted Johnson & Johnson PRD’s first NDA for an internally discovered new chemical entity. Previously, Dr. Rybak held various research and management positions at Schering Plough Research Institute (Union, New Jersey), and a number of academic and administrative positions at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Dr. Rybak earned her doctor of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and conducted her internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
“We welcome Dr. Rybak to Genitope’s management team. She brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of oncology drug development, including preclinical research, clinical trial design and FDA filings to commercialization and partnering. Her expertise will be invaluable as we prepare to commercialize MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy and broaden our pipeline with new products,” said Dan W. Denney, Jr., Ph.D., chief executive officer of Genitope.
About Genitope Corporation
Genitope Corporation (Redwood City, Calif.) is a biotechnology company focused on the research and development of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Genitope Corporation’s lead product candidate, MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy, is a patient-specific active immunotherapy based on the unique genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor and is designed to activate the patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. For more information on the company, please log on to http://www.genitope.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements including statements about the commercialization of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy, the broadening of the company’s pipeline, the potential benefit of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy or any future products of the company, the application of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy for cancers other than Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and the promise of the company’s monoclonal antibody program.” For this purpose, any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements, including statements about the scope and potential outcome of Genitope Corporation’s Phase I/II clinical trial of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy for the treatment of CLL. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Genitope Corporation’s results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including without limitation, risks relating to the progress, timing and results of Genitope Corporation’s clinical trials and other research and development activities, risks relating to the manufacturing of MyVax(R) personalized immunotherapy and other risks detailed in Genitope Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading “Risk Factors” in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 filed by Genitope Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Genitope Corporation undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
Media Contact: Lisa Waters / Jackie Quintanilla P: 323.202.1051 / 323.202.1053 lisa.waters@edelman.comjacqueline.quintanilla@edelman.com Investor Contact: John Vuko Chief Financial Officer, Genitope Corporation P: 650.482.2000 IR@genitope.com
Genitope Corporation
CONTACT: Lisa Waters, +1-323-202-1051, lisa.waters@edelman.com, or JackieQuintanilla, +1-323-202-1053, jacqueline.quintanilla@edelman.com, both ofEelman, for Genitope Corporation; or Investors, John Vuko, Chief FinancialOfficer of Genitope Corporation, +1-650-482-2000, IR@genitope.com
Web site: http://www.genitope.com//
