MONTREAL, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Osprey Pharmaceuticals Limited, a privately held biotechnology company focused on treating chronic diseases through a family of first-in-class therapeutic proteins, has named veteran pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry executive Jack M. Anthony to the newly created position of senior vice president of corporate development.
"Jack brings a wealth of experience, an incredible track record and a global network of contacts in marketing and business development to Osprey at a time when the firm is rapidly advancing its preclinical programs into the clinic," said Chief Executive Officer Phil Coggins. "We are extremely pleased to have Jack join our executive team, particularly as Osprey makes the transition into a full-fledged drug development company."
Mr. Anthony most recently was chief executive officer at Pharmix Corp., a San Francisco-based computational design drug company. Prior to Pharmix, Mr. Anthony was responsible for creating many successful in-licensing and out- licensing partnerships, as senior vice president of business development at Saegis Pharmaceuticals, now part of Lundbeck of Denmark. Mr. Anthony also was senior vice president of business development at Tularik, where he played an instrumental role in the acquisition of Tularik by Amgen in 2004.
Mr. Anthony has served in senior business development and marketing positions at such innovative biotechnology firms as FibroGen, Cell Therapeutics, and Inhale (now Nektar) Therapeutics, negotiating research, development and commercialization deals with numerous universities, and global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Anthony began his career in life sciences with Baxter Healthcare Corporation, where he spent more than 15 years, ultimately serving as a vice president of Baxter's Blood Therapy Group. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Allegheny College.
Mr. Anthony will be forging development and commercialization deals for key Osprey compounds in order to reach the full potential of Osprey's Leukocyte Population Modulators (LPMs) in human disease. He and the Osprey team will prioritize the selection of LPMs for the development of multiple proof-of-concept trials. Osprey anticipates beginning three clinical trials annually over the next three years in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and immunological and neurological disorders. Its lead product candidate, a therapeutic for treating chronic kidney disease, will enter the clinic in the second half of this year.
"Osprey is a business development executive's dream: It boasts a targeted yet flexible approach to the management of leukocytes that are out of control and causing havoc in nearly 200 distinct diseases," Mr. Anthony said. "I am delighted to become a member of the executive team at Osprey, as we enter the clinic with a platform that is not only powerful but scalable. This company has the potential to truly make a difference for millions of patients worldwide."
About Osprey Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Osprey Pharmaceuticals Limited is a privately held biotechnology company focused on commercializing a unique family of therapeutic proteins capable of treating chronic diseases. Osprey's broad technology platform is based on the critical insight that many common diseases are propagated by overabundant and overactive leukocytes. The company's patented Leukocyte Population Modulators selectively and systematically destroy these disease-related leukocytes by infiltrating the chemokine system - a complex network of small proteins and their receptors that regulate the movement and activity of leukocytes. The company expects to initiate a Phase I/II trial for chronic kidney disease in the second half of 2007.
Osprey has developed a portfolio of 12 preclinical LPM product candidates addressing a variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and immunological and neurological disorders, and the company anticipates initiating at least one clinical trial annually over the next three years. Osprey minimizes the risks inherent to drug development and commercialization by using a technology that can rapidly generate new product candidates, and then uniformly applying standardized testing and manufacturing protocols across its portfolio. Osprey Pharmaceuticals is based in Montreal, Canada and can be found online at www.ospreypharma.com.
Contacts Phil Coggins, PhD President & CEO coggins@ospreypharma.com Tel: 514-336-3118 Robert Wagstaff Vice President, Finance wagstaff@ospreypharma.com Tel: 514-336-3118 Or Susan Thomas or John Cummings from Burns McClellan on behalf of Osprey jcummings@burnsmc.comsthomas@burnsmc.com Tel: 415-352-6262
Osprey Pharmaceuticals LimitedCONTACT: Phil Coggins, PhD, President & CEO, coggins@ospreypharma.com,+1-514-336-3118, or Robert Wagstaff, Vice President, Finance,wagstaff@ospreypharma.com, +1-514-336-3118, both of Osprey PharmaceuticalsLimited; or Susan Thomas, sthomas@burnsmc.com, or John Cummings,jcummings@burnsmc.com, of Burns McClellan for Osprey, +1-415-352-6262
