SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 5, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Hana Biosciences (Nasdaq:HNAB), a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing cancer care, today announced the promotion of Gavin S. Choy, Pharm.D. and Alex Tkachenko, Ph.D. In their new roles, Dr. Choy will be responsible for all clinical operations as Vice President, Clinical Operations, while Dr. Tkachenko gains added responsibility overseeing Hana's business development as Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning.
"Both Gavin and Alex have brought a tremendous level of experience, energy and leadership to Hana and have been instrumental in propelling the company forward during our brief history," said Mark Ahn, President and CEO. "We look forward to their continued contributions, as a result of their well-deserved promotions, as we move into the next critical phase of our growth."
Gavin S. Choy, Pharm.D., Vice President, Clinical Operations. Dr. Choy has been a Senior Director of Clinical Operations at Hana Biosciences since September 2004. Prior to joining Hana, Dr. Choy was a Clinical Scientist at Gilead Sciences, Inc. where he was involved in the clinical development of Viread(r) for the treatment of HIV, and Hepsera(r) for the treatment of hepatitis B infection. During his tenure at Gilead, Dr. Choy also provided market research in support of the oncology franchise. Prior to joining Gilead, Dr. Choy was a clinical pharmacist practicing in the areas of oncology, hematology and bone marrow transplant at Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, and at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Sepulveda, CA. Prior to that, Dr. Choy was a Director, Geriatric Residency Program, at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Sepulveda. Concurrent with these positions, Dr. Choy also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Southern California, until 2000. Dr. Choy completed Residency in Geriatric Pharmacy Practice and earned a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine.
Alex Tkachenko, Ph.D., Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning. Since 2005, Dr. Tkachenko has been Hana's Senior Director, Business Development and Operations Planning responsible for product licensing and partnership management. Prior to joining Hana, Dr. Tkachenko was employed by Genentech, Inc., most recently as an Associate Director in its development organization where his tasks included maximizing clinical benefit from Genentech's therapeutics by improving patient selection and trial design. Earlier, as Product Manager for Rituxan(r), Genentech's flagship oncology drug, Dr. Tkachenko helped lead a cross-functional effort to prepare the brand for the impact of Medicare reimbursement reform. Dr. Tkachenko earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Dr. Tkachenko also served as a squad leader in the Soviet Army and completed a tour of combat duty in Afghanistan.
About Hana Biosciences, Inc.
Hana Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:HNAB) is a South San Francisco, CA-based biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing, and commercializing innovative products to advance cancer care. The company is committed to creating value by building a world-class team, accelerating the development of lead product candidates, expanding its pipeline by being the alliance partner of choice, and nurturing a unique company culture. Additional information on Hana Biosciences can be found at www.hanabiosciences.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Hana's actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "believes," "intends," and similar words or phrases. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from these statements. Among other things, there can be no assurances that any of Hana's development efforts relating to its product candidates will be successful. Other risks that may affect forward-looking information contained in this press release include the possibility of being unable to obtain regulatory approval of Hana's product candidates, the risk that the results of clinical trials may not support Hana's claims, Hana's reliance on third-party researchers to develop its product candidates, and its lack of experience in developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products. Additional risks are described in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Hana assumes no obligation to update these statements, except as required by law.