David C. Kaslow, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, has resigned effective July 31, 2006, having accepted an opportunity to return to Merck & Co., Inc., in the area of vaccine research. The company is not planning to replace Dr. Kaslow.
Alain P. Rolland, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Product Development, and Ronald B. Moss, M.D., Vice President of Clinical Development, will now report directly to Vijay B. Samant, Vical's President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Rolland joined the company as Vice President, Product Development in August 2002 and was named Senior Vice President, Product Development in April 2004. Dr. Moss joined the company in June 2006 with more than ten years of clinical and regulatory experience at Telos Pharmaceuticals, at the Merck Research Laboratories Division of Merck and Co., Inc., and at The Immune Response Corp.
Robin M. Jackman, Ph.D., has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Business Operations, with broad responsibility for the development and commercialization of Allovectin-7® under the company's collaboration with AnGes MG, Inc. Dr. Jackman joined Vical as Vice President, Business Development in June 2004.
Mr. Samant said, "Over the past five years, we have assembled an excellent vaccine development team that has advanced the company's lead vaccine programs consistent with our development strategy, including our vaccines for cytomegalovirus, anthrax and pandemic influenza. We have leveraged our platform technology through collaborations for the development of additional vaccine and protein delivery applications. The latest changes in the senior management team reflect the company's continued advance toward commercial vaccine development."
About Vical
Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases. Potential applications of the company's DNA delivery technology include DNA vaccines for infectious diseases or cancer, in which the expressed protein is an immunogen; cancer immunotherapeutics, in which the expressed protein is an immune system stimulant; and cardiovascular therapies, in which the expressed protein is an angiogenic growth factor. The company has developed certain infectious disease vaccines and cancer therapeutics internally. In addition, the company collaborates with major pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies that give it access to complementary technologies or greater resources. These strategic partnerships provide the company with mutually beneficial opportunities to expand its product pipeline and serve significant unmet medical needs. Additional information on Vical is available at www.vical.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements about the company's focus, collaborative partners, product candidates, and developmental status. Risks and uncertainties include whether any product candidates will be shown to be safe and efficacious in clinical trials, the timing of clinical trials, whether Vical or its collaborative partners will seek or gain approval to market any product candidates, whether the company will succeed as a commercial vaccine developer, the dependence of the company on its collaborative partners, and additional risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent the company's judgment as of the date of this release. The company disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts: Investors: Vical Incorporated Alan R. Engbring (858) 646-1127 Website: www.vical.com
Media: Porter Novelli Life Sciences Susan Neath Virginia Amann (858) 527-3486 (608) 274-6046
Source: Vical Incorporated
