ERIMOS PHARMACEUTICALS NAMES DR. SCOTT MOHRLAND AS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Global development and commercialization executive to lead Erimos’ continued growth
RALEIGH, NC (April 17, 2007) — Erimos Pharmaceuticals, a growing biopharmaceutical company focused primarily on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics to treat cancer, today named its new President and CEO: J. Scott Mohrland, Ph.D.
Dr. Mohrland is a pharmaceutical executive with more than 26 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry. His leadership has built and managed global organizations focused on the development and commercialization of oncology and other therapeutic products.
Jeff Khoo, former Erimos CEO, will serve as Executive Vice Chairman on Erimos’ board of directors, and will continue to provide leadership at the board level to Erimos’ international expansion efforts. “Scott Mohrland has a gift for translating science into medical and commercial significance, which is especially valuable to a technology with this breadth of potential. His proven track record in global drug development and commercialization will advance both our lead oncology product and our many other product initiatives,” said Mr. Khoo. “We are very excited to have Scott at the helm during this important growth period for Erimos.”
“It will be a real privilege and pleasure to work with Scott Mohrland again,” said Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., Special Advisor to the President and Clinical Advisor to Erimos, and an internationally recognized leader in cancer drug development. “Dr. Mohrland is science-driven with enormous expertise in anti-cancer drug development. His prior experience will provide a terrific compliment to the outstanding Erimos team.”
Before joining Erimos, Dr. Mohrland served as Executive Vice President for GMP Companies, Inc., a global medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics. Prior to GMP, he spent more than 21 years with Pharmacia Corporation, Pharmacia and Upjohn, Inc. and the Upjohn Company, where he held a number of executive positions, including Vice President of Scientific, Professional and Government Operations, and Vice President of Medical Operations and Scientific Affairs. Dr. Mohrland has also served on several boards, including serving as Vice Chairman of Florida’s biotechnology industry organization, BioFlorida. He has held several academic appointments, including Adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine at Western Michigan University. Dr. Mohrland, who also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, received his PhD in pharmacology from Washington State University, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine. He has authored numerous scientific and medical publications and been a member of several scientific and medical societies.
Dr. Ru Chih Huang, Chief Scientific Advisor to Erimos, a biology professor at The Johns Hopkins University, and lead inventor of Erimos’ technology, said, “As Erimos expands clinical research internationally to tackle global and regional diseases with unmet need, Scott’s broad experience in clinical operations, drug development and business expansion will be invaluable in facilitating strong business relations in Asia, and later, throughout the world.”
Erimos has exclusively licensed a portfolio of proprietary small molecules from The Johns Hopkins University and is developing a novel class of drugs including its lead candidate, terameprocol (EM-1421), which is designed specifically to target abnormal/tumor cells while causing little or no toxicity to healthy cells. Working at the DNA level, terameprocol is designed to prevent the production and activation of survivin, a protein that is produced excessively in tumor cells, thus preventing cell replication and enhancing the body’s ability to eliminate abnormal cells through cell death, or apoptosis.
“This is an exciting time to join Erimos Pharmaceuticals as President and CEO. I look forward to leading the company’s efforts to provide novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of cancer and other proliferating diseases. Erimos’ mechanistic approach has the potential to greatly impact the way we treat these diseases and significantly improve the quality of life for patients,” said Dr. Mohrland.
Erimos’ lead product candidate, terameprocol is in Phase I/II clinical studies evaluating its use as an intravenous therapy for the treatment of refractory and metastatic solid tumors that are unresponsive to conventional therapy. Erimos recently commenced a Phase I study in partnership with the New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy (NABTT) CNS Consortium to determine the maximum tolerated dose of terameprocol in adults with recurrent high grade glioma. An additional study, exploring terameprocol’s potential use in the treatment of hematological malignancies is scheduled to begin enrollment in the second quarter of 2007. Erimos completed a phase II pilot study evaluating terameprocol for the treatment of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN), widely recognized as the precursor to cervical cancer, which demonstrated encouraging results for this indication. Additional pre-clinical programs are underway to evaluate new compounds to treat cancer and serious viral infections, including influenza.
Erimos Pharmaceuticals, with primary research and development facilities located in Raleigh, NC, has manufacturing facilities in Mexico and corporate offices in Houston, TX. Please visit our website at www.erimos.com.