HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kosan Biosciences Incorporated today announced the appointment of Helen S. Kim as Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer, responsible for the company’s business and corporate development strategies, including corporate partnering and licensing. In addition to her extensive experience in business and corporate development, Ms. Kim’s biotechnology expertise also includes corporate finance and strategic marketing.
Ms. Kim’s industry credentials include senior positions at Affymax, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Protein Design Labs and Chiron Corporation. At Affymax, she served as Chief Business Officer where she created and implemented a new business model and was responsible for portfolio prioritization, licensing and capital formation. At Onyx, Ms. Kim established and managed corporate collaborations and had oversight for project management, strategic marketing and investor relations. At Protein Design Labs, she originated the company’s marketing and research and development project management functions and was responsible for strategic marketing. At Chiron, she led the global strategic marketing function for Chiron’s therapeutics and vaccines businesses including new product launches and established multiple external collaborations including licensing, co-development and joint venture transactions. Ms. Kim most recently served as Chief Program Officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation where she successfully developed initiatives to transform healthcare delivery practices in acute care hospitals. Ms. Kim received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
“Helen joins Kosan at an exciting time as our product pipeline grows and matures and as we aggressively entertain and pursue corporate partnering and licensing opportunities,” said Robert G. Johnson, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Kosan’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The breadth of Helen’s experience in business and corporate development as well as new product planning and commercialization along with her demonstrated leadership skills will be of great value to Kosan. Kosan’s Board of Directors and management team enthusiastically welcome Helen to our company.”
About Kosan
Kosan Biosciences is a biotechnology company advancing two new classes of anticancer agents through clinical development -- Hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) inhibitors and epothilones. Kosan is leveraging its proprietary discovery platform to generate a pipeline of potentially significant product candidates, primarily in the area of oncology.
Hsp90 inhibitors have a novel mechanism of action targeting multiple pathways involved in cancer cell growth and survival. Tanespimycin (KOS-953) is being tested in combination with bortezomib (Velcade(R)) in patients with multiple myeloma in a registration program called TIME. Tanespimycin is also being studied in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin(R)), and as monotherapy in metastatic melanoma. Intravenous and oral formulations of Kosan’s second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, alvespimycin (KOS-1022), are being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trials in hematologic and solid tumors and in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Epothilones inhibit cell division through a mechanism of action similar to taxanes, one of the most successful classes of anti-tumor agents. KOS-1584 is in Phase 1 clinical trials in patients with solid tumors.
Kosan’s motilin agonist, KOS-2187, licensed to Pfizer, is in a Phase 1 safety trial, with plans to pursue development in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the further development and potential safety, efficacy, regulatory status, commercialization and other characteristics of Kosan’s product candidates; and the opening or initiation of additional clinical trials and the timing thereof. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Kosan to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of Kosan’s product candidates, including the risk that studies may not accrue patients on a timely basis, demonstrate safety and efficacy sufficient to initiate clinical trials, continue clinical development, obtain the requisite regulatory approvals or to result in a marketable product; risks and uncertainties related to the costs of conducting preclinical and clinical studies for Kosan’s product candidates, including the costs and supply of bortezomib, Kosan’s ability to obtain valid and enforceable patents covering its product candidates; Kosan’s dependence on its collaboration with Pfizer for development of its motilin agonist product candidate; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 and other periodic filings with the SEC. Kosan does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Velcade(R) (bortezomib) is a registered trademark of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab) is a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.
CONTACT: Jane Green, VP, Corporate Communications of Kosan Biosciences
Incorporated, +1-510-731-5335, cell, +1-415-652-4819, green@kosan.com
Web site: http://www.kosan.com/
