EntreMed Appoints Thomas H. Bliss as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development
June 18 2008 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Experienced Biotech Business Development and Investment Banker
Enhances EntreMed's Senior Management Team ROCKVILLE, Md., June 18
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EntreMed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENMD), a
clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for
the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced
the appointment of Mr. Thomas H. Bliss, Jr. as Senior Vice
President, Corporate and Business Development. Mr. Bliss has been
elected an executive officer by EntreMed's Board of Directors and
will report to the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer,
Mr. James S. Burns. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010620/ENMDLOGO ) Most
recently the Executive Director, Licensing at Amgen, Mr. Bliss
brings nearly 20 years biotechnology business development and
healthcare investment banking experience to EntreMed. In his most
recent role at Amgen, Mr. Bliss was responsible for international
licensing, licensing operations oversight and the coordination and
communication of Amgen's China/India Research Activities
Initiative. Previous to that, Mr. Bliss was responsible for
directing all Amgen acquisition activity, including the acquisition
of Abgenix. Prior to joining Amgen in 2004, Mr. Bliss served as
Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Development at Baxter
BioScience, where he directed all licensing and acquisition
activities. Mr. Bliss' career in life science business development
began in 1994 with Johnson & Johnson where he provided
analytical support for all franchises and participated in the
creation of billion dollar cardiovascular access and orthopedic
businesses. The first half of Mr. Bliss' career was spent as a
healthcare investment banker where he raised funds and provided
merger and acquisition advisory services with top tier investment
banks including Lehman Brothers, Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette
(DLJ) and SG Cowen. Mr. Bliss commented on his appointment, "I
chose to join EntreMed at this exciting juncture in its development
because it allows me to be an integral part of the build-out of
what I believe will become a leading biotechnology company. With
three oncology products already in the clinic and a rheumatoid
arthritis product entering the clinic, the Company's clinical
pipeline is ripe for a multitude of partnering and business
development opportunities. In addition, EntreMed's core research
and development competency will continue to provide new compounds
for potential business development initiatives. I am delighted to
lead these efforts and look forward to supporting the Company's
growth strategy for developing drugs for oncology and inflammatory
diseases." James S. Burns, EntreMed's President and CEO commented,
"It has long been our goal to advance the development of our
promising clinical pipeline and to partner those product candidates
in order to enhance their value and expedite their progress through
the regulatory approval process. Partnering, particularly for
ENMD-2076, is a principal goal of the Company in 2008. We welcome
Tom to EntreMed's senior management team to help us accomplish this
milestone. I am confident that Tom's extensive knowledge and
experience will better position us to aggressively seek partnership
opportunities." About EntreMed EntreMed, Inc. is a clinical-stage
pharmaceutical company developing therapeutic candidates primarily
for the treatment of cancer and inflammation. MKC-1 is currently in
multiple Phase 2 clinical trials for cancer. MKC-1 is an oral
cell-cycle regulator with activity against the mTOR pathway.
ENMD-1198, a novel antimitotic agent, and ENMD-2076, a selective
kinase inhibitor, are in Phase 1 studies in advanced cancers. The
Company also has an approved IND application for Panzem(R) in
rheumatoid arthritis. EntreMed's goal is to develop and
commercialize new compounds based on the Company's expertise in
angiogenesis, cell-cycle regulation and inflammation -- processes
vital to the treatment of cancer and other diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis. Additional information about EntreMed is
available on the Company's web site at http://www.entremed.com/ and
in various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act with respect to the outlook for expectations for future
financial or business performance (including the timing of royalty
revenues and future R&D expenditures), strategies, expectations
and goals. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous
assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made,
and no duty to update forward-looking statements is assumed. Actual
results could differ materially from those currently anticipated
due to a number of factors, including those set forth in Securities
and Exchange Commission filings under "Risk Factors," including
risks relating to the need for additional capital and the
uncertainty of additional funding; variations in actual sales of
Thalomid(R), risks associated with the Company's product
candidates; the early-stage products under development; results in
preclinical models are not necessarily indicative of clinical
results, uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical trials;
success in the clinical development of any products; dependence on
third parties; future capital needs; and risks relating to the
commercialization, if any, of the Company's proposed products (such
as marketing, safety, regulatory, patent, product liability,
supply, competition and other risks). CONTACT: Ginny Dunn Associate
Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
EntreMed, Inc. 240.864.2643
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010620/ENMDLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: EntreMed, Inc. CONTACT:
Ginny Dunn, Associate Director, Corporate Communications &
Investor Relations, of EntreMed, Inc., +1-240-864-2643 Web site:
http://www.entremed.com/
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