PALO ALTO, Calif., July 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nora Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics to address significant unmet needs in reproductive medicine, announced today the appointment of Joseph Turner to the Company's board of directors, and as Chairman of its Audit Committee. Mr. Turner is a seasoned financial executive in the biopharmaceutical industry, having served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Myogen, Inc. from 1999 until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2006. Prior to Myogen, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Centaur Pharmaceuticals and Cortech, Inc., and held a variety of financial management positions at Eli Lilly and Company.
"Joe brings to Nora's board an extensive history of demonstrated financial leadership within the biotechnology sector. His keen insight into the industry, paired with his extensive financial expertise, will be instrumental to Nora as we continue developing the strategic and financial position of the Company," said Don Hayden, Chairman of Nora's board of directors.
Throughout his career, Mr. Turner has provided expertise to the boards of multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including QLT, Sequel Pharmaceuticals, ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals, Allos Therapeutics (acquired by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals), SGX Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Lilly), and NovaCardia (acquired by Merck).
"Joe has served on numerous biopharmaceutical company boards during critical periods in their development. His business acumen in helping young companies grow and mature will be extremely valuable as Nora advances NT100 toward approval," noted Jeffrey Tong, Ph.D., President and CEO of Nora Therapeutics.
Currently, Mr. Turner serves as an active board member for a number of public and private biopharmaceutical companies, including Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Corcept Therapeutics, Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Sophiris Bio, and BioClin Therapeutics. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado Medical School. He also serves on Swarthmore College's board of managers. Mr. Turner holds a B.A. in chemistry from Swarthmore College, an M.A. in molecular biology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"I am delighted to join the board of Nora Therapeutics during this exciting time. The company has an opportunity to make an enormous difference in the lives of prospective mothers who have experienced prior miscarriages and have no available FDA-approved therapies," said Mr. Turner.
About Nora Therapeutics, Inc.
Nora Therapeutics is a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics to address unmet needs in reproductive medicine. Nora's lead compound, NT100, is a novel biologic agent similar to a naturally occurring protein in the female reproductive tract and may reduce the risk of miscarriage by optimizing maternal-fetal immune tolerance. NT100 is being studied in a Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial (RESPONSE) in women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage. For more information, please visit our website at www.noratherapeutics.com.