BERLIN, May 2, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Jerini AG (FSE:JI4) announced the appointment of Andrew D. Curtis as Vice President U.S. Marketing, effective May 1, 2006. Curtis will be heading Jerini's recently established subsidiary, Jerini U.S., Inc., headquartered in the New York metropolitan area. "We are extremely pleased to welcome Andrew to Jerini's team," said Jens Schneider-Mergener, CEO of Jerini. "His extensive marketing and business development experience are vital for this key position, allowing Jerini to strengthen and expand our U.S. presence. Jerini U.S. will also work closely with our U.S. partner, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to coordinate the planned North American market launch of our lead product, Icatibant, for hereditary angioedema in 2007."
Andrew Curtis brings more than ten years of pharmaceutical experience, joining Jerini after three years at Pfizer, where he most recently served as U.S. Marketing Director for ARICEPT. Curtis began his pharmaceutical career at Aventis and has held marketing and sales positions at Merck, Genzyme, and J&J. In his previous positions, he successfully managed product filings and launches, and gained expertise in the areas of orphan drugs and rare genetic diseases, metabolic bone disease, burn treatment, and vaccine therapy.
About Jerini AG
Jerini AG is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany focusing on the discovery and development of peptide-based drugs. Having recognized the potential of peptides as natural starting molecules for drug discovery, the company has developed state-of-the-art technologies to identify and transform peptides into drugs. The company's lead product, Icatibant, is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). It is estimated between 1:10,000 and 1:50,000 people worldwide are affected with this disease. Based on its technology platform, Jerini has established several in-house development programs, which address indications within ophthalmology, oncology, and inflammatory therapeutic areas. The most advanced of these programs targets age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 55 in developed countries. Clinical testing with Jerini's drug candidate, JSM 6427, will start in the second half of 2006.