SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today announced the appointment of four additional members to its Clinical Advisory Board to help guide the Company’s expanding clinical development strategy for picoplatin. They include Howard A. Burris, III, M.D., of The Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville; E. David Crawford, M.D., of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center; Robert F. Ozols, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia; and Everett E. Vokes, M.D., of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
These esteemed physicians will add to the already broad expertise of the Company’s Clinical Advisory Board and bring an understanding of a wide variety of tumor types, including prostate, breast, ovarian, head and neck and lung cancers, to inform the development of picoplatin. Picoplatin, the Company’s lead product candidate, is a new generation platinum chemotherapy agent with the potential to address multiple indications, combinations and formulations.
“These renowned physicians are experts in several different indications and will provide strategic input into our clinical development program for picoplatin, which is being developed as a platform product with broad applicability across multiple solid tumor types,” said Robert De Jager, M.D., chief medical officer of Poniard.
The new Clinical Advisory Board members join existing members Paul J. Bunn, Jr., M.D., of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center; Alan B. Glassberg, former associate director of clinical care and former director of general oncology at the University of California, San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center; Richard Goldberg, M.D., of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Eric J. Small, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco.
About Poniard Pharmaceuticals
Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative oncology products to impact the lives of people with cancer. Picoplatin, the Company’s lead platform product candidate, is a new generation platinum therapy with an improved safety profile relative to existing platinum-based cancer therapies. Picoplatin is designed to overcome platinum resistance associated with chemotherapy in solid tumors, and is being studied in multiple cancer indications, combinations and formulations. Clinical trials of intravenous picoplatin include a Phase 3 trial in small cell lung cancer and Phase 2 trials in metastatic colorectal and hormone-refractory prostate cancers, as well as a clinical trial of oral picoplatin in solid tumors. Picoplatin has not been approved by any regulatory authority for use in humans. For additional information please visit http://www.poniard.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s business objectives and strategic goals, drug development plans, results of clinical trials and the potential safety and efficacy of its products in development. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s research and development activities; the results of pre-clinical and clinical testing; the receipt and timing of required regulatory approvals; the market’s acceptance of the Company’s proposed products; the Company’s anticipated operating losses, need for future capital and ability to obtain future funding; competition from third parties; the Company’s ability to preserve and protect intellectual property rights; the Company’s dependence on third-party manufacturers and suppliers; the Company’s lack of sales and marketing experience; the Company’s ability to attract and retain key personnel; changes in technology, government regulation and general market conditions; and the risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s current and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
(C) 2008 Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Poniard and Poniard Pharmaceuticals are trademarks of Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Brendan Doherty, Corporate Communications of Poniard
Pharmaceuticals, +1-650-745-4425, bdoherty@poniard.com
Web site: http://www.poniard.com/
