RIVER EDGE, N.J., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nephros, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: NEPH), a medical device company developing and marketing filtration products for therapeutic applications, infection control, and water purification, today announced that effective April 20, 2012, John C. Houghton has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Mr. Houghton is expected to be appointed to the board of directors of Nephros. Effective upon Mr. Houghton’s appointment, Dr. Paul Mieyal stepped down as acting CEO of Nephros and will remain as a member of the board of directors of Nephros.
Mr. Houghton has over 25 years of commercialization experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device fields. He has direct experience in building out global commercial organizations including marketing, sales, sales operations, customer service, business analytics and new product development and has also been directly responsible for successfully licensing products and leading joint ventures and partnerships.
Mr. Houghton most recently served as President and CEO of CorMedix Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on therapeutic products for the treatment of cardio-renal disease. While President and CEO, Mr. Houghton led the acquisition of the company’s product candidates and the completion of its initial public offering. Prior to assuming the role of President and CEO, he was the Chief Business Officer for CorMedix. Before joining CorMedix, Mr. Houghton established the global sales and marketing infrastructure for the Biotech division of Stryker Corp. Prior to Stryker, he worked with Aventis and predecessor companies for more than 14 years. During his time at Aventis he led the global marketing of Nasacort, served as commercial lead on the Aventis-Millennium inflammation collaboration, and functioned as the global new products commercialization head for respiratory, inflammation, cardiovascular, and metabolism products. Mr. Houghton received his B.Sc. from Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom.
“After an extensive search process, we look forward to having John in place and driving the company’s growth,” said James S. Scibetta, Chairman of Nephros. “John’s strengths in commercialization and business development are attractive assets which the board feels can add significant value to Nephros.”
“I am excited to be joining the Nephros team, and I believe that the company has a very promising future,” said Mr. Houghton. “My immediate goals are to focus on leveraging the just announced agreement with Medica to pursue an aggressive strategy aimed at expansion of Nephros’s ultrafiltration product sales and to continue ongoing communication with the FDA with the intent of obtaining clearance for the company’s hemodiafiltration system. In the intermediate term, Nephros will explore and pursue additional market opportunities for its products and technology while seeking to meet the requirements for relisting of the company’s stock on a national exchange.”
DHR International provided executive search services for the recruitment of Mr. Houghton to Nephros.
About Nephros, Inc.
Nephros, Inc., headquartered in River Edge, New Jersey, is a medical device company developing and marketing filtration products for therapeutic applications, infection control, and water purification. The Nephros hemodiafiltration (HDF) system is designed to improve the quality of life for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patient while addressing the critical financial and clinical needs of the care provider. ESRD is a disease state characterized by the irreversible loss of kidney function. The Nephros HDF system removes a range of harmful substances more effectively, and with greater capacity, than existing ESRD treatment methods, particularly with respect to substances known collectively as “middle molecules.” These molecules have been found to contribute to such conditions as dialysis-related amyloidosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, degenerative bone disease and, ultimately, mortality in the ESRD patient. The Nephros Dual Stage Ultrafilter (DSU) is the basis for the Nephros line of water filtration products, which includes the MSU and SSU ultrafilters. The patented dual stage cold sterilization ultrafilter has the capability to filter out bacteria and, due to its exceptional filtration levels, filter out many viruses, parasites and biotoxins. The Nephros DSU, MSU, and SSU are FDA cleared for the filtration of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate used in hemodialysis procedures. Nephros’ DSU ultrafilters are being evaluated at several major U.S. medical centers for infection control. Nephros has also developed its UF-40 ultrafilter for purification of drinking water by soldiers in the field.
For more information about Nephros, please visit the company’s website at www.nephros.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements include statements regarding the efficacy and intended use of our technologies under development, the timelines for bringing such products to market and the availability of funding sources for continued development of such products and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. For such statements, we claim the protection of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risks that:
- we may not be able to continue as a going concern;
- we may not be able to obtain funding if and when needed or on terms favorable to us in order to continue operations;
- we may not obtain appropriate or necessary regulatory approvals to achieve our business plan or effectively market our products including, without limitation, FDA approval of our HDF system;
- products that appeared promising to us in research or clinical trials may not demonstrate anticipated efficacy, safety or cost savings in subsequent pre-clinical or clinical trials;
- we may encounter problems with our suppliers and manufacturers;
- we may encounter unanticipated internal control deficiencies or weaknesses or ineffective disclosure controls and procedures;
- HDF therapy may not be accepted in the United States and/or our technology and products may not be accepted in current or future target markets, which could lead to failure to achieve market penetration of our products;
- we may not be able to sell our ESRD therapy or water filtration products at competitive prices or profitably;
- we may not be able to secure or enforce adequate legal protection, including patent protection, for our products; and
- we may not be able to achieve sales growth in Europe and Canada or expand into other key geographic markets.
More detailed information about us and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements, including the forward-looking statements in this press release, is set forth in our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, and our other periodic reports filed with the SEC. We urge investors and security holders to read those documents free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
SOURCE Nephros, Inc.
