Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals Appoints Michael Kamdar To Its Board Of Directors
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 30, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Ciclofilin" or the "Company"), a developer of broad spectrum antiviral medications, announced today the appointment of Michael Kamdar as a new member of the Company's Board of Directors.
Mr. Kamdar has more than 25 years of fundraising, management, business development and commercial experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries. He has held a variety of executive positions at some of the most successful public and private life sciences companies, including Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer, Anadys Pharmaceuticals, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals and Genoa Pharmaceuticals. Over the course of his career to date, Mr. Kamdar has played a key role in deal transactions valued in excess of $1 billion and has raised more than $300 million from venture capital and public capital market investors. Mr. Kamdar serves as an advisor to Microdermis and as a Director of Genoa Pharmaceuticals and BIOCOM.
Cosme Ordonez, MD, PhD, President of Ciclofilin, stated, "It is a great pleasure to welcome Michael to our Board of Directors. He brings valuable experience, skills, and industry insights gained through an outstanding career in the life sciences industry. Given his vast experience in the field of antivirals, in particular, Michael will be instrumental in helping our Company to achieve its goals on the financial, strategic and drug development fronts."
Mr. Kamdar said, "Ciclofilin has the potential to develop a novel broad spectrum treatment for patients with viral diseases, especially those co-infected with multiple viruses. I look forward to helping the Company advance its antiviral programs to tackle this significant unmet medical need."
About Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Ciclofilin is a life sciences company based in San Diego, California, with R&D facilities in Edmonton, Canada. The company's drug pipeline is uniquely designed to specifically target the host by rendering host cells resistant to viral infection. Unlike most other antivirals used in practice or in development, Ciclofilin's antivirals do not target the virus. By targeting the host and not the virus, Ciclofilin's lead drug is less susceptible to emerging resistance and is truly pangenotypic. Ciclofilin is developing a broad spectrum antiviral for the treatment of patients co-infected with hepatitis C ("HCV"), hepatitis B ("HBV") and HIV-1 viruses. Approximately 25% of HIV patients are co-infected with HCV. Co-infected patients progress at a faster rate to end-stage liver disease than mono-infected patients, and co-infection more than triples the risk of liver disease, liver failure, and liver-related death from HCV. End-stage liver disease (liver inflammation and fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) is the main cause of death and hospitalization for HIV patients, and cyclophilin inhibitors, as a class, are known to exhibit antifibrotic properties, which may further amplify the benefits of this approach to treating viral infections. Ciclofilin is also testing for additional antiviral indications, including human papilloma virus ("HPV"), coronaviruses and others.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to the po-tential of our lead drug CPI-431-32 for the treatment of human viral diseases. All state-ments other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of our preclinical results and potential applications of our compound for the treatment of co-infected patients. Statements that are not historical facts are based on our management's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and our management's beliefs and assumptions. The statements contained in this release are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in such forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this release, and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Ciclofilin undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, except as required by applicable law.
CONTACT: Investor Contact Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Robert T. Foster, CEO, +1 (780) 909-5041; Email: [email protected] Dr. Cosme Ordonez, President, +1 (619) 701-5374; Email: [email protected] Media Contact Steve Kilmer, +1 (647) 872-4849; Email: [email protected]