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EKR
Therapeutics Announces Management Additions and Promotions,
Reflecting Support of Continued Acceleration in Growth
Cedar Knolls, N.J., March 27, 2008 – EKR Therapeutics, Inc., a
specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring,
commercializing and maximizing the potential of proprietary
acute-care products, today announced additions to its senior
management staff including Ernie Biczak, M.D. as Senior Vice
President of Marketing, Dave Iwanicki as Senior Vice President of
Commercial Operations, and Stephen Hulse, R.Ph. as Vice President of
Sales. Additionally, Tong Zhang, Ph.D. has been promoted to Vice
President of Business Development.
“Each of these individuals has brought to EKR an impressive record
of accomplishments, including having previously collaborated in the
successful growth of ESP Pharma,” said Howard Weisman, EKR’s
chairman and CEO. ESP Pharma was a specialty pharmaceutical company
co-founded in 2002 by Weisman to pursue a business model similar to
that of EKR Therapeutics. In March 2005, ESP was acquired, along
with its lead product Cardene® IV, by Protein Design Labs – the
predecessor to PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ:PDLI) - in a transaction valued
at approximately $500 million.
“In addition to a wealth of pharmaceutical expertise, each possesses
extensive knowledge of the acute-care space,” noted Weisman.
“Moreover, they have a hands-on understanding of Cardene IV which
recently became EKR’s largest revenue generating product.” On March
10, 2007 EKR completed the purchase of a portfolio of acute-care
cardiovascular assets including the Cardene franchise which had
reported 2007 sales exceeding $150 million.
Richard DeSimone, EKR’s COO and CFO, commented “EKR’s growth as a
commercial organization and our comparatively rapid emergence as a
profitable, cash-flow positive company within two years of
initiating operations reflects the talents of our team across all
departments.” He concluded, saying, “The strength of EKR’s
management, as exemplified by the high caliber professionalism of
Ernie, Dave, Steve, and Tong, has and will continue to be a key
ingredient in EKR’s success.”
Ernie Biczak, M.D.
Prior to joining EKR Therapeutics, Ernie Biczak served as Executive
Vice President, Medical Affairs for Esprit Pharma and before that as
Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs for ESP Pharma where his
scientific and medical expertise were key elements in understanding
and building the market for Cardene IV and other acute-care
products. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, Physician
Practices for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System where he
developed productivity and compensation guidelines for their
employed physicians. Ernie was a co-founder of Immediate Medical
Care Centers (IMCC), some of the first urgent care centers in New
Jersey, where he practiced medicine for 16 years. Prior to IMCC,
Ernie helped develop the Emergency Medicine Residency at Morristown
Memorial Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey where he also served as
Assistant Emergency Department Director for 3 years.
Ernie received his M.D. degree from Rutgers Medical School, and
completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the Michigan State
University Affiliated Hospitals where he also held the position of
Chief Resident.
Dave Iwanicki
Dave Iwanicki comes to EKR Therapeutics from PDL BioPharma where he
served as Vice President, Sales and Sales Operations and Corporate
Officer. He served on the executive management team for the entire
time he was at PDL. Dave joined PDL in March 2005 upon the
completion of that company’s acquisition of ESP Pharma, Inc., having
served in the same capacity at ESP Pharma were he was part of the
initial management team that commercialized ESP. Previously, Dave
was employed for fifteen years by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
where he held various sales, marketing and sales management
positions. During his tenure with Lilly, Dave spent the last seven
years in senior management positions in both retail and hospital
sales. He was involved with the creation of Lilly’s cardiology
business unit and cardiology specialty sales force and later helped
create a diabetes specialty sales force of more than 510 sales
representatives that launched three new products in three years and
also assisted in creating a critical care sales force of 210
representatives. Dave has spent nearly 15 of his 20 years of
pharmaceutical experience in sales and sales operations.
Dave received his BS degree in Business Administration from Western
New England College.
Stephen J. Hulse, R.Ph.
Steve Hulse brings to EKR Therapeutics 25 years of experience in the
pharmaceutical industry, including extensive management expertise at
the district, regional, and national levels. He joins EKR
Therapeutics from PDL BioPharma, having first served in sales
management and sales training for ESP Pharma, a company merged into
PDL in March 2005. His most recent position at PDL was Director of
Sales, Central Area with responsibilities for the management of
sales objectives for PDL’s cardiovascular portfolio in one third of
the country. He was also involved in hiring sales representatives,
managing several Regional Business Mangers, and overseeing a
hospital sales force of more than 50 representatives. Additionally,
Steve was named to the PDL diligence team engaged in that company’s
sale of commercial assets. Previously he served as Senior Director,
Pain and Anesthesia Marketing, for Organon Pharmaceuticals and held
senior marketing and sales management positions with Knoll
Pharmaceutical. Earlier in his career, Steve served as a Hospital
Specialist for Astra/Merck and Squibb-Novo.
Steve is a graduate of Albany College of Pharmacy, Union University
and is a licensed pharmacist in New York.
Tong Zhang, Ph.D.
Tong Zhang joined EKR in early 2007 with responsibilities that
center on pursuing opportunities to leverage EKR’s commercial
organization through the expansion of its product portfolio,
strategic partnerships, and the acquisition of late-stage
development drugs. In this capacity he has been instrumental in
EKR’s purchase of Cardene IV and other acute-care product assets.
Tong brings to EKR more than a decade of experience in scientific
research, consulting, and investment banking. During the course of
his career, he has assessed hundreds of marketed and pipeline
products and facilitated business development in several high-value
licensing deals. Prior to joining EKR Therapeutics, he was a
Director for ESP Equity Partners, LLC, a private investment company
engaged in acquiring pharmaceutical and medical assets. Previously
he served as a pharmaceutical equity analyst for the Credit Suisse
Group (NYSE:CS) and as a consultant for ISO HealthCare Consulting
and Defined Health, leading strategic consulting firms.
Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in Biology from Columbia University and
a B.S. degree in Biology from Wuhan University in China. He also
performed post-doctoral research at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in
New York.
About EKR Therapeutics
EKR Therapeutics is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical
company that has brought together a highly seasoned team of industry
professionals. The Company focuses on the acquisition, development
and commercialization of proprietary products to enhance patient
quality-of-life in the acute setting, including cardiovascular, pain
management and oncology supportive care medications. From its
inception in late 2005, EKR has been organized to be a class leader
in commercializing products to address unmet and under-satisfied
medical needs or to otherwise enhance the therapeutic value of
acute-care prescription products. EKR’s goal is to be the
pre-eminent provider of specialty acute-care products, backed by a
commitment to excellence in customer service and medical education
programs. The Company’s growing portfolio of specialty acute-care
products includes Cardene® IV (nicardipine hydrochloride), Cardene
SR®, Retavase® (reteplase recombinant), DepoDur® (morphine sulfate
extended-release liposomal injection) and Gelclair® (bioadherent
oral gel). For additional information about EKR visit the Company’s
website at www.ekrtx.com.
Contact for EKR Therapeutics
Stuart Z. Levine, Ph.D.
Director, Strategic Communications
877-435-2524
s.levine@ekrtx.com
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