HAMPTON, N.J., May 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:BLPH), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company, today announced the appointments of Scott P. Bruder, M.D., Ph.D. and Scott Huennekens as independent directors. Mr. Huennekens will also serve as a member of the Audit Committee and Dr. Bruder will serve as a member of the Compensation Committee.
Jonathan Peacock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bellerophon, noted, "We are delighted to welcome two experienced leaders to the Company, both of whom bring tremendous expertise in therapeutics, medical devices and business building. I have no doubt that Scott Bruder and Scott Huennekens will be a great support to me and the Company as we continue to develop our pipeline of drug and device combination therapies in the Cardiac and Cardiopulmonary space."
Scott P. Bruder, M.D., Ph.D., served as the Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of Stryker Corporation from 2013 until 2014, and from 2007 until 2013 he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer for Becton, Dickinson and Company. Dr. Bruder has also held a number of senior executive and scientific roles at Johnson & Johnson, Anika Therapeutics and Osiris Therapeutics. He is a magna cum laude graduate from Brown University with a Sc.B. in Biology, and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where he simultaneously earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. in stem cell biology. He obtained additional clinical training at Albert Einstein Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently an adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case, where he previously served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery for thirteen years. Dr. Bruder recently served on an FDA Advisory Committee for Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies, and he continues to serve on several Academic Advisory Boards for biomedical engineering at leading universities.
Scott Huennekens has over 20 years of experience in the cardiovascular and medical device industry. Mr. Huennekens was President and Chief Executive Officer of Volcano Corporation, a manufacturer of intravascular imaging equipment for coronary and peripheral applications, from April 2002 to February 2015. Volcano was acquired in February 2015 by Royal Philips for $1.2 billion. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Digirad Corporation, a diagnostic imaging solutions provider. He joined Digirad in 1997 as Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in 2000. Prior to joining Digirad he held senior positions at Baxter International, Inc. in the Edwards Cardiovascular Division and Novacor Division. Mr. Huennekens is currently Chairman of EndoChoice and serves on the boards of Sonendo, Reva and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA). He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
About Bellerophon
Bellerophon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on developing innovative therapies at the intersection of drugs and devices that address significant unmet medical needs in the treatment of cardiopulmonary and cardiac diseases. The Company has two programs in advanced clinical development. The first program, INOpulse, is based on the Company's proprietary pulsatile nitric oxide delivery device. The Company is currently developing two product candidates under its INOpulse program: one for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), for which the Company intends to commence Phase 3 clinical trials in the second half of 2015, and the other for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PH COPD), which is in Phase 2 development. The Company's second program is bioabsorbable cardiac matrix (BCM), an injectable device for the prevention of cardiac remodeling and subsequent congestive heart failure following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack. BCM is currently in a placebo-controlled clinical trial, expected to report results in mid-2015, designed to support CE mark registration in the European Union and to provide the basis for an additional registration trial in the United States. Bellerophon has an exclusive worldwide license to BCM from BioLineRx Ltd. For more information, visit www.bellerophon.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about Bellerophon's future expectations, plans and prospects constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors. Any forward-looking statements represent Bellerophon's views only as of the date of this press release. Bellerophon anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. While Bellerophon may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Bellerophon specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
CONTACT: At Bellerophon: Manesh Naidu, Chief Business Officer (908) 574-4770 At Rx Communications Group: Paula Schwartz (Investors) (917) 322-2216 Eric Goldman (Media) (917) 322-2563 [email protected]