SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., , which focuses on the development and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceuticals for the global marketplace in collaboration with local partners, is pleased to announce today that Jack Van Hulst has been appointed to the Board of Napo as a Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.
Mr. Van Hulst, 67, has more than 39 years of international experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He began his career in 1968 at Organon, which was subsequently acquired by AKZO, N.V., the multinational human and animal healthcare company, where, while based in Europe and the United States, he was President of Diosynth, Inc, the biotechnology division of AKZO. In this position, he was responsible for establishing AKZO's position in the United States in the manufacturing, sales and marketing of fine chemicals. He later became President of AKZO's U.S. Pharmaceutical Generic Drug Business and was responsible for establishing AKZO in the U.S. generic drug industry.
From 1989 to 1999 Mr. Van Hulst successively owned and led two generic pharmaceutical companies, improving their operations and then selling them to a private equity group and a pharmaceutical company.
From 1999 to 2005, he was Executive Vice President at Puerto Rico-based MOVA Pharmaceutical Corporation, a contract manufacturer to the pharmaceutical industry that recently merged with Canadian-based Patheon.
He is currently a director of Protein Sciences Corporation, a privately- held biotechnology company based in Meriden, Connecticut, which utilizes recombinant DNA technology to develop and manufacture modern protein-based vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, and is also a director of Senesco Technologies, Inc. a publicly held company that has developed technology that regulates the onset of cell death.
The Company confirms that there is no additional information which is required to be disclosed under Rule 9.6.13 of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.
Lisa A. Conte, CEO of Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. commented: "I am delighted to welcome Jack to the Board of Napo. He has significant experience internationally from within the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout his career Jack has gained broad experience from working with growing companies and developing business strategies in emerging markets. His experience in corporate strategy and working with government agencies such as the FDA will be of great value to Napo as we advance our portfolio and develop the global nature of our business."
Commenting on this announcement, Jack Van Hulst, said: "I am very excited about joining the Board of Napo and working with Lisa and the team. Napo is maturing at a fast pace and developing as a global business. The pipeline is strong and will capture an area of the pharmaceutical market where there is significant unmet medical need."
For more information please contact: Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc Lisa Conte, Chief Executive Officer 1-650-616-1902 Charles Thompson, Chief Financial Officer 1-650-616-1903 Buchanan Communications + 44 (0)20 7466 5000 Tim Anderson, Mary-Jane Johnson Noonan Russo 1-858-646-3058 David Schull Greg Geissman About Napo
Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc., focuses on the development and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceuticals for the global marketplace in collaboration with local partners. Napo was founded in November 2001, and is based in South San Francisco, California, United States, with a subsidiary in Mumbai, India.
Napo's late-stage proprietary gastro-intestinal compound, crofelemer, is in various stages of clinical development for four distinct product indications, including a late-stage Phase 3 program:
* CRO-HIV for AIDS diarrhea, Phase 3 * CRO-IBS for diarrhea irritable bowel syndrome ("D-IBS"), Phase 2 * CRO-ID for acute infectious diarrhea (including cholera), Phase 2 * CRO-PED for paediatric diarrhea, Phase 1 The FDA has granted fast-track status to CRO-IBS and CRO-HIV.
Crofelemer, a proprietary patented agent, is extracted from Croton lechleri, a medicinal plant that can be sustainably harvested from several countries in South America. Napo also plans to develop an early clinical stage product, NP-500, for the treatment of insulin resistant diseases of Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome (Syndrome X; pre-diabetic syndrome). Napo also has a plant library of approximately 2,300 medicinal plants from tropical regions and Napo has entered its first screening relationship associated with this collection. Currently, products are based on the chemical and biological diversity derived from plants with medicinal properties, but future products may be in-licensed from other sources.
Napo has partnerships with Trine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of the United States of America; Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited of India; and AsiaPharm Group Ltd. of China. For more information please visit www.napopharma.com.
About Crofelemer
Crofelemer, a proprietary patented agent, is extracted from Croton lechleri, a medicinal plant that can be sustainably harvested from several countries in South America. Crofelemer is in various stages of clinical development for four distinct product indications, one in Phase 3, two in Phase 2 and one in Phase 1.
These products have been tested in trials involving approximately 1,500 patients in double-blind placebo-controlled, mostly published trials of AIDS diarrhea, diarrhea-predominant IBS, and acute infectious diarrhea. The products are generally well tolerated and have shown significant anti- diarrheal activities and improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms. Crofelemer produces several effects when administered orally providing for activity in several disease indications. Crofelemer's anti-secretory mechanism reduces excess fluid secreted into the gastrointestinal tract, while its anti- inflammatory and analgesic activity may provide the rationale for its significant benefit in abdominal pain. Crofelemer acts locally in the intestines, with limited systemic exposure.
Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.CONTACT: Lisa Conte, Chief Executive Officer, +1-650-616-1902, or CharlesThompson, Chief Financial Officer, +1-650-616-1903, both of NapoPharmaceuticals, Inc.; or Tim Anderson, or Mary-Jane Johnson, both ofBuchanan Communications, +44-(0)-20-7466-5000; or David Schull, or GregGeissman, both of Noonan Russo, +1-858-646-3058
Web site: http://www.napopharma.com/
