PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 30, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carbylan Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel and proprietary combination therapies, today announced the appointment of Keith A. Katkin, David M. Clapper and Edward W. Unkart to its Board of Directors, effective December 4, 2014. With these additions, its Board now consists of eight directors.
"We are excited that these highly accomplished professionals have joined our Board, as they significantly strengthen the collective strategic capabilities of our organization with their leadership expertise and track records of driving successful clinical and commercialization initiatives. Their experience at companies ranging from small startups to big pharma should prove invaluable as we advance the Phase 3 trial of Hydros-TA and work toward bringing our novel combination therapies to market," said David Renzi, President and CEO of Carbylan Therapeutics. "We look forward to their contributions as we continue executing on our clinical development strategy."
Keith Katkin is President, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Avanir Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:AVNR), a developer of biopharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Previously, he was Vice President of Commercial Development at Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, an antibiotic developer acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and has held leadership positions at InterMune, Amgen and Abbott Laboratories. A licensed CPA and a member of the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of America, Mr. Katkin holds a Bachelor's degree in Business and Accounting from Indiana University and an MBA in Finance from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.
David Clapper is CEO of Minerva Surgical, a privately held medical device company focused on treating excessive menstrual bleeding. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of SVB Financial Group, along with several other private medical device companies. He has led a number of start-up companies, including serving as CEO of SurgRx, a surgical device developer acquired by Johnson & Johnson, Novacept, a woman's heath medical device company acquired by Cytyc/Hologic, and Focal, Inc., a surgical sealant company acquired by Genzyme. He previously worked at Johnson & Johnson in several management roles over a 16-year period. Mr. Clapper holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Bowling Green State University.
Edward Unkart has served as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous public and private companies such as XTENT, VNUS Medical Technologies, Concentric Medical and AlterG. He has also held senior-level finance positions including CFO of SurgRx, Novacept, FemRx and Devices for Vascular Intervention. Mr. Unkart is a licensed CPA and holds a Bachelor's degree in Statistics and an MBA from Stanford University.
About Carbylan Therapeutics
Carbylan is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel and proprietary combination therapies that address significant unmet clinical needs. The Company's lead product candidate, Hydros-TA, is a proprietary, cross-linked combination of low dose corticosteroid and novel hyaluronic acid viscosupplement. Currently enrolling patients in its first Phase 3 clinical trial, Hydros-TA is designed to provide both rapid and sustained pain relief via a single intra-articular injection.
Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Carbylan, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company's ability to bring novel combination therapies, including Hydros-TA, to market. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the development of Hydros-TA, or Carbylan's future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the clinical development and regulatory approval process. Carbylan undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.