RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BioCryst
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) today announced that Peder
Jensen, M.D., was elected to the Company's Board of Directors, effective
today. The Company also announced today that Beth
C. Seidenberg, M.D., has tendered her resignation from the Board
effective May 12, 2011, following the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Dr. Jensen has over 24 years of global drug development experience in
both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has been responsible
for more than forty new drug approvals in the U.S., Europe and Japan
during his career. He most recently served as Corporate Senior Vice
President and General Manager, Research & Development (R&D) for Japan
and Asia/Pacific at Schering-Plough Corporation, and earlier he held a
number of global senior R&D positions at Schering-Plough, including
Senior Vice President of Clinical Research. Dr. Jensen previously held
senior R&D positions at Chiron and Ciba-Geigy, and a number of academic
posts. Dr. Jensen received his M.D. from the University of Copenhagen,
where he also completed his post graduate medical training in neurology
and internal medicine. Dr Jensen is also a member of the Board of Acorda
Therapeutics, Inc.
"I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the
leadership team at BioCryst to pursue our goal of building an enduring,
successful biopharmaceutical company, addressing patients' unmet medical
needs," said Dr. Jensen.
"Dr. Jensen shares BioCryst's passion for serving the needs of patients
and healthcare providers. The wealth of experience Peder possesses in a
wide range of therapeutic areas is going to be a great asset to BioCryst
and its leadership," said Zola
P. Horovitz, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of BioCryst. "Dr.
Seidenberg has made invaluable contributions in the strategic
development of BioCryst since joining its Board in late 2005. Beth's
dedicated service and firm belief in the company's long-term potential
helped attract proven leaders to BioCryst, and we wish her continued
success."
About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals designs, optimizes and develops novel
small-molecule pharmaceuticals that block key enzymes involved in
infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer. BioCryst
currently has three novel late-stage compounds in development: peramivir,
a neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, BCX4208,
a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor for the treatment of
gout, and forodesine, an orally-available PNP inhibitor for
hematological malignancies. Utilizing crystallography and
structure-based drug design, BioCryst continues to discover additional
compounds and to progress others through pre-clinical and early
development to address the unmet medical needs of patients and
physicians. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.biocryst.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding future results and achievements. These statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which
may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from any future results, performances or
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Please refer to the documents BioCryst files periodically with the SEC
and located at http://investor.shareholder.com/biocryst/sec.cfm.
BCRXW
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
Robert Bennett, 919-859-7910 (investors)
or
WCG
Carolyn
Wang, 415-946-1065 (media)
Source: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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