Achillion Appoints Paul Firuta Chief Operating Officer
September 10 2018 - 6:00AM
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN)
today announced the appointment of Paul Firuta to the position of
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective
immediately. Mr. Firuta, with 27 years of experience successfully
building commercial organizations and launching products targeting
rare diseases, will assume responsibility for leading Achillion’s
commercial strategy and operations, market access, pharmaceutical
sciences & manufacturing, project management and patient
advocacy.
“Paul’s operational leadership and successful
track record launching rare disease treatments, including the
complement inhibitor Cinryze®, will greatly benefit Achillion as we
accelerate our factor D clinical programs and prepare for
registrational trials and commercialization,” commented Joseph
Truitt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Achillion.
“It is a very exciting time to be joining
Achillion as Chief Operating Officer,” stated Mr. Firuta.
“Achillion is uniquely positioned to make a difference in the lives
of patients with devastating complement mediated rare diseases for
which few therapeutic options exist. I look forward to leading the
Achillion teams in advancing our complement factor D portfolio into
planned phase 3 development.”
Paul Firuta
Mr. Firuta joins Achillion from uniQure N.V.
(NASDAQ: QURE) where he held the position of Chief Commercial
Officer. Prior to uniQure, he was President of U.S. Commercial
Operations at NPS Pharmaceuticals where he led the development and
execution of the GATTEX sales and marketing plan as well as the
commercial launch of NAPTARA. Over the course of his career, Mr.
Firuta has held various leadership roles at biopharmaceutical
companies including: Vice President and General Manager, Americas
at ViroPharma, Inc. leading the U.S. commercial operations for
CINRYZE and VANCOCIN, representing over $400 million in U.S.
revenue. Additionally, he was Vice President, Managed Markets at
LEV Pharmaceuticals and Executive Director National Accounts at
OraPharma. Mr. Firuta holds a Master of Business Administration
from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a Bachelor of
Science degree from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
About Achillion
Pharmaceuticals
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN) is
a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on
advancing its oral factor D inhibitors into late-stage
development and commercialization. Each of the drug candidates
in the Company’s oral factor D portfolio was discovered in its
laboratories and is wholly owned. Achillion is focusing its
drug development activities on alternative pathway-mediated, rare
diseases where there are no approved therapies or where existing
therapies are inadequate for patients. To advance its
investigational drugs into phase 3 and commercialization, the
Company plans to work closely with key stakeholders including
patients, payors, regulators and healthcare professionals.
More information is available at http://www.achillion.com.
Cinryze® is a registered trademark of Shire or
it’s affiliates.
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and
other important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements.
Achillion may use words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,”
“target,” “intend,” “plan,” “aim,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,”
“can,” “could” “focus,” “will,” “look forward,” “goal,” “may,”
“potential,” and similar expressions to identify such
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements also
include statements about: the potential benefits of factor D
inhibition as a treatment for complement-mediated diseases; the
potential benefits of, and indications for, Achillion’s compounds
that inhibit factor D, including ACH-4471, ACH-5228 and ACH-5548;
Achillion’s belief that its portfolio of compounds could
expand factor D portfolio opportunities or provide strategic
optionality; Achillion’s expectations regarding the advancement of,
and timeline for reporting results from, clinical trials of its
product candidates, plans for advancing Achillion’s compounds into
phase 3 clinical trials and commercialization, as well as its
ability to advance additional compounds; and other statements
concerning Achillion’s strategic goals, efforts, plans, and
prospects. Among the important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements are risks relating to, among other
things, Achillion’s ability to: demonstrate in any current and
future clinical trials the requisite safety, efficacy and
combinability of its drug candidates; advance the preclinical and
clinical development of its complement factor D inhibitors under
the timelines it projects in current and future preclinical studies
and clinical trials; obtain and maintain patent protection for its
drug candidates and the freedom to operate under third party
intellectual property; obtain and maintain necessary regulatory
approvals, and the granting of orphan designation does not alter
the standard regulatory requirements and process for obtaining such
approval; establish commercial manufacturing arrangements;
identify, enter into and maintain collaboration and other
commercial agreements with third-parties; compete successfully in
the markets in which it seeks to develop and commercialize its
product candidates and future products; manage expenses; manage
litigation; raise the substantial additional capital needed to
achieve its business objectives; and successfully execute on its
business strategies. These and other risks are described in the
reports filed by Achillion with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2018, and any other SEC filings that
Achillion makes from time to time.
In addition, any forward-looking statement in
this press release represents Achillion's views only as of the date
of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing
its views as of any subsequent date. Achillion disclaims any duty
to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by
applicable law.
Investors &
Media:Brian DiDonatoVice President, Investor Relations and
Corporate CommunicationsAchillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Tel. (203)
752-5452bdidonato@achillion.com |
uniQure NV (NASDAQ:QURE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
uniQure NV (NASDAQ:QURE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024