SAN LEANDRO, Calif., Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercator MedSystems, Inc., a privately held medical technology company focused on treating drug-resistant hypertension, announced today that Neil P. Desai, Ph.D. was elected to its Board of Directors. Dr. Desai has an extensive background in drug-delivery and global development and holds over 100 patents in the field. Prior to the acquisition of Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. (ABI), by Celgene Corporation in late 2010, he was Senior Vice-President of Global Research and Development for ABI where he was responsible for the development of ABI’s proprietary product pipeline and intellectual property portfolio. He is presently Vice-President of Strategic Platforms at Celgene Corporation.
“Dr. Desai’s extensive experience in drug development, global clinical research, and commercialization in an entrepreneurial environment is a perfect addition to Mercator’s Board as we move to the next development stage of our unique approach to treating drug-resistant hypertension,” said Thomas M. Loarie, Executive Chairman of Mercator MedSystems, Inc. Loarie also noted that this came at an ideal time with investor and strategic interest growing in hypertension treatments following the recent acquisition of Ardian, Inc., by Medtronic, Inc.
“I have been working with Mercator for over three years on collaborations using products developed by Abraxis so I have had a front row seat observing the development of their proprietary site-specific drug delivery platform,” said Dr. Neil Desai. He added, “It’s an exciting time in the evolution of Mercator and I am delighted to become a contributor.”
Last year, pre-clinical data were presented on Mercator’s therapeutic approach to drug-resistant hypertension and clinical data were presented on Athersys’ use of Mercator’s technology to deliver stem cells post-myocardial infarction at the 2010 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C.
About Mercator MedSystems, Inc.
Mercator MedSystems, Inc., based in San Leandro, Calif., is a privately held medical technology company focused on commercializing catheter-guided, microfluid infusion systems for site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents for applications in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, oncology and regenerative medicine.
SOURCE Mercator MedSystems, Inc.
