June 02, 2014 08:00 | Source: Cara Therapeutics
SHELTON, Conn., June 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CARA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain by selectively targeting kappa opioid receptors, today announced that Eric J. Vandal has been named Vice President, Commercial Operations. Mr. Vandal will assume responsibility for developing and implementing commercialization and marketing strategies in support of Cara's clinical development programs.
"Eric's track record of successfully leading pre-launch and launch efforts for pain-management therapeutics makes him uniquely qualified to lead our commercial efforts," said Derek Chalmers, Ph.D., D.Sc., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cara. "His expertise will prove vital as we continue to progress our pipeline of novel pain therapies, including the advancement of the I.V. formulation of our lead compound, CR845, into Phase III clinical trials for acute post-operative pain."
Mr. Vandal brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical sales and marketing experience, primarily focused in pain management, to Cara. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Nuvo Research, Inc., where he built a commercial team to re-launch and re-brand the needle-stick pain prevention patch, SYNERA®. Previously, he was Senior Director of the Hospital Business Unit of King Pharmaceuticals where he led all marketing activities, including overseeing the Thrombin-JMI franchise and the company's pain franchise in the hospital setting. Mr. Vandal has also held senior sales and marketing positions at Alpharma Pharmaceuticals and Endo Pharmaceuticals.
"I.V. CR845 has the potential to transform the treatment of acute post-operative pain, an area of significant unmet need," said Mr. Vandal. "I am thrilled to join Cara at this exciting time as the company begins to strategically build its commercial infrastructure to support I.V. CR845's potential launch."
Mr. Vandal has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.
About Cara Therapeutics
Cara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain and pruritus by selectively targeting kappa opioid receptors. Cara is developing a novel and proprietary class of product candidates that target the body's peripheral nervous system and have demonstrated efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe pain without inducing many of the undesirable side effects typically associated with currently available pain therapeutics.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements concerning the expected timing for the Company's clinical trials, the potential results of planned clinical trials and future regulatory and development milestones for the Company's product candidates. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks are described more fully in Cara Therapeutics' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and its other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Cara Therapeutics undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
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