Amylin Pharmaceuticals Appoints Christian Weyer, MD Senior Vice President, Research and Development
Orville Kolterman, MD Named Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer
SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMLN) today announced that Christian Weyer, MD has been appointed Senior Vice President, Research and Development. Orville Kolterman, MD, has been named Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer. These leadership changes will strengthen the Company's focus on preparations for a new product launch and the advancement of its late-stage development programs, both important value drivers for the Company.
During his 10-year tenure at Amylin, Dr. Weyer has made valuable contributions to the business through leadership roles in the Research, Clinical, and Corporate Development organizations, most recently as Vice President, Medical Development. In his new role, Dr. Weyer will lead Amylin's R&D organization, focusing on expanding opportunities with the Company's existing diabetes products, advancing the obesity and early diabetes pipeline, and driving research programs that support innovation and business growth.
Dr. Kolterman was previously Senior Vice President, Research and Development. In the newly created role of Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kolterman will work to further strengthen Amylin's ties with the medical community, policy-makers, patient advocacy groups, and other audiences that will be critical in supporting the successful launch of BYDUREON(TM) (exenatide for extended-release injectable suspension) and driving therapeutic innovation for patients. Dr. Kolterman will also continue to lead interactions with regulatory agencies and have responsibility for global safety activities.
"The changes announced today will sharpen Amylin's focus in areas that are critical to our near- and long-term success," said Daniel M. Bradbury, President and Chief Executive Officer, Amylin Pharmaceuticals. "Chris is a seasoned R&D leader with a strong scientific background in endocrinology and metabolism, as well as solid business and management experience. His proven ability to expand and enable the Amylin pipeline will be invaluable in his new leadership role as we continue progress on promising programs that could transform the lives of patients."
About Christian Weyer
Dr. Weyer began his career as a physician scientist, and has developed extensive scientific and biopharmaceutical diabetes and obesity expertise through his work in academic, government research, and pharmaceutical industry settings. During his tenure with Amylin, Dr. Weyer has held leadership positions within Research, Clinical Development, Corporate Development, and Medical Affairs, and has had an integral role in several business development transactions at Amylin.
Prior to joining Amylin, Dr. Weyer was a Visiting Fellow from 1997-2000 with the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), in Phoenix, AZ. In this role he conducted clinical research on the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes in Pima Indians. He received his MD and clinical training at the Department of Metabolic Disorders, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Diabetes Treatment and Prevention, at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany. Dr. Weyer also holds a postdoctoral master's degree in advanced clinical research from the University of California, San Diego and currently serves on the program's advisory board.
About Orville Kolterman
As a practicing endocrinologist for over 30 years and a seasoned researcher and faculty member at leading medical institutions, Dr. Kolterman has amassed significant experience and expertise in the area of diabetes. Over the last 18 years he has helped Amylin achieve major accomplishments, including two first-in-class product approvals for diabetes, through leadership roles in the Regulatory, Research, Development, Clinical and Medical Affairs organizations, many of which were officer-level positions.
Dr. Kolterman was a member of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) Study Group and presently serves as a member of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications (EDIC) Study Group. He also serves as a board member for Glysens, Inc., Viacyte and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Research Foundation and is a past President of the California Affiliate of the ADA. He has been Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for over 20 years. Prior to joining Amylin, he was Program Director of the General Clinical Research Center and Medical Director of the Diabetes Center at the UCSD Medical Center. Dr. Kolterman earned his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine.
About Amylin Pharmaceuticals
Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines. Amylin has developed and gained approval for two first-in-class medicines for diabetes, SYMLIN(R) (pramlintide acetate) injection and BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection. Amylin's research and development activities leverage the Company's expertise in metabolism to develop potential therapies to treat diabetes and obesity. Amylin is headquartered in San Diego, California. Further information on Amylin Pharmaceuticals is available at http://www.amylin.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Amylin, which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed herein due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks that BYETTA, and the revenue generated from this product, may be affected by competition, unexpected new data, safety and technical issues, or manufacturing and supply issues; risks that our clinical trials will not be completed when planned, may not replicate previous results, may not be predictive of real world use or may not achieve desired end-points; risks that our preclinical studies may not be predictive; risks that our NDAs for product candidates, such as the BYDUREON NDA, or sNDAs for label expansion requests may not be submitted timely or receive FDA approval; risks that BYDUREON, if approved, will not be launched in a timely manner; risks that our response to the FDA's BYDUREON complete response letter may not satisfy the FDA; risks that the FDA may request additional information prior to approving BYDUREON; risks that we will be unable to advance our obesity and other pipeline programs; and other risks inherent in the drug development and commercialization process. Commercial and government reimbursement and pricing decisions and the pace of market acceptance may also affect the potential for BYETTA and, if approved, BYDUREON. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the Company's recently filed Form 10-Q. Amylin disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.