Vyteris Expands Scientific Advisory Board With Four New Appointments
FAIR LAWN, NJ, Jul 13, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Vyteris, Inc. (OTCBB: VYTR), manufacturer of the first FDA-approved active patch transdermal drug delivery system, and a leader in active transdermal drug delivery technology, today announced the appointment of four new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The new appointments enhance the range and depth of expertise of the SAB, which provides technical and strategic guidance for the company's research, product development, and commercialization activities.
The new members of the SAB are: David Cohen, M.D., Robert Shorr, Ph.D., David Filer, Ph.D., and Michael Reidy, Ph.D. They join Russell Potts, Ph.D., who serves as Chairman of the SAB, and Richard Guy, Ph.D., who became the founding members of the SAB in 2008.
"These individuals are highly regarded thought leaders who bring to Vyteris a rich diversity of experience and expertise in drug delivery, dermatology, rheumatology, pain management, and bioscience generally. It is a pleasure to welcome them to our Scientific Advisory Board," said Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., president and CEO of Vyteris. "We look forward to their contributions and insights as we continue evaluating partnering and development opportunities for our active transdermal drug delivery technology."
The SAB now includes the following members:
-- David Cohen, M.D., is Vice Chairman of Clinical Affairs, Department of
Dermatology, New York University Medical Center. He is a member and
has served as president of the American Contact Dermatitis Society,
Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Diplomat of the
American Board of Dermatology and American Board of Preventative
Medicine-Occupational/Environmental Medicine. Dr. Cohen has published
numerous scientific and medical articles in peer-reviewed journals
including Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Archives of
Dermatology, American Contact Dermatitis Journal, and the
International Journal of Dermatology. Dr. Cohen received his medical
degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of
Medicine, completed his internship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical
Center, and finished his residency training at the Department of
Dermatology, New York University Medical Center. Dr. Cohen also holds
a Masters of Public Health - Environmental Science from the Columbia
University School of Public Health.
-- Robert Shorr, Ph.D., served as Chief Scientist, United Therapeutics,
where he was responsible for the discovery of a longer acting form of
prostacyclin. Dr. Shorr has also served in senior scientific and
research positions at Enzon, Inc., and Smith Kline and French. He was
the scientific founder of AT Biochem, and is the inventor of the Long
Ranger gel for DNA sequencing and high-performance chromatography
materials for affinity-based separation and purification materials. He
received his Ph.D. and D.I.C. in biochemistry from the University of
London Imperial College of Science and Technology and completed his
postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke
University Medical Center.
-- David Filer, Ph.D., is a consultant to emerging companies. He works
with investors, executives and inventors to establish and guide
companies seeking the clinical investigation and commercial
development of cutting-edge technologies. He has secured capital with
Paramount Biocapital, Sunrise Equities, Centercourt Capital, Spencer
Trask Ventures, Altira Capital, Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Cleveland
Biolabs, Advaxis, Biocancell, United Therapeutics, and Enzon, Inc. Dr.
Filer has worked as a Gene Expression Fellow, European Molecular
Biology Organization; Senior Investigator, Hadassah Medical School,
Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and Senior Molecular Biologist, New
York University Medical Center. He holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from
Tel Aviv University.
-- Michael Reidy, Ph.D., is currently Vice President, Research &
Development, at Vyteris. Since joining Vyteris in 2004, he has played
an instrumental role in leading and managing all internal and external
research and product development activities. Prior to joining Vyteris,
Dr. Reidy was Principal Scientist at Cygnus, Inc., and made critical
contributions to the development and commercialization of the
Glucowatch(R) Biographer, a transdermal iontophoretic system for
non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring in patients with diabetes.
Prior to that, Dr. Reidy held research positions at Dade-Behring and
DuPont Medical Products, where he played a pivotal role in the design
and commercial development of planar ion selective electrode and
biosensor systems for in-vitro diagnostic product lines. Dr. Reidy
started his career at DuPont's Central Research and Development
department after a post-doctoral fellowship at the Max-Planck
Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. Dr. Reidy holds a B.S. in
chemistry from Manhattan College and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from
Polytechnic University (New York).
-- Russell Potts, PhD., is a recognized expert in the field of
iontophoresis. He has published a substantial body of literature, and
he is a fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences
and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He
has been involved in the creation of several inventions in the field
of iontophoresis and holds more than 25 U.S. patents. He received his
Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst,
an M.S. in physical chemistry from Cornell University, and a B.S. in
chemistry from Michigan State University. Dr. Potts is also a member
of the board of directors at Vyteris.
-- Richard Guy, Ph.D. received an M.A. in Chemistry from Oxford
University, and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the
University of London. He has held academic posts at the University of
California, San Francisco and the University of Geneva. In 2004, he
joined the University of Bath as Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr. Guy is a leading expert in topical and transdermal drug delivery
with a particular focus on iontophoresis. Dr. Guy has published over
300 peer-reviewed articles and is co-inventor of 10 patents. His
research has been supported by national and international funding
bodies (including the NIH, the European Union and the Medical Research
Council (UK)) and by the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and biotechnology
industries. Dr. Guy is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of
Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
About Vyteris, Inc. Vyteris, Inc. is the maker of the first active, ready-to-use drug delivery patch (LidoSite(R)) to receive marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vyteris' proprietary active transdermal smart patch technology delivers drugs comfortably through the skin using low-level electrical energy (iontophoresis). This smart patch technology allows precise dosing, giving physicians and patients control in the rate, dosage and pattern of drug delivery that may result in considerable therapeutic, economical, and lifestyle advantages over existing methods of drug administration. Vyteris has successfully delivered a peptide non-invasively using its system, where the company demonstrated achievement of therapeutic levels of a peptide without using any needles. For more information, please visit us at www.vyteris.com.
Vyteris Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "believes," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements concerning the potential impact of the new marketing agreement and other matters that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from results expressed or implied by this press release. Such risk factors include, among others, the competitive environment and competitive responses to the new marketing arrangement. The Company has described other important risks and uncertainties under the caption "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in various filings made with the SEC. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this press release.
Contacts:
Joseph Himy
Chief Financial Officer
Vyteris, Inc.
Tel: (201) 703-2299
SOURCE: Vyteris, Inc.
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