ARDANA APPOINTS VICE-PRESIDENT OF PRE-CLINICAL SCIENCES
Edinburgh, UK, 2 August 2004: Ardana today announces
the appointment of Dr Tim Morley to the position of Vice President,
Pre-Clinical Sciences reporting directly to CEO, Maureen Lindsay.
Dr Morley, 42, joins Ardana from Vernalis Research
Ltd where he most recently served as Senior Director Molecular
and Cellular Pharmacology. He joined Vernalis in 1997 with responsibilities
for the design and equipping of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics
laboratories, and progressed through the posts of Head of Pre-Clinical
Development, Director Pre-Clinical Evaluation, and Senior Director
Biological Research. Over the last three years, Dr Morley has
directed the biological research resource of all CNS research
projects at Vernalis.
Previous positions include nine years at Wellcome Research Laboratories
where Dr Morley was a senior scientist in Drug Safety Evaluation,
during which time he also completed his PhD in mechanistic toxicology,
awarded from Aberdeen University. Dr Morley holds a BSc in Applied
Biochemistry; a BSc in Pharmacology; and an MSc in Biopharmacy.
As part of Ardana's senior management team, Dr Morley will be
responsible for liaising with scientists at the Medical Research
Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in order to identify
potential drug candidates as well as coordinating the pre-clinical
development of in-licensed products. He will also manage Ardana's
Intellectual Property portfolio.
Ardana CEO, Maureen Lindsay, commented, "Preparing for the
successful commercialisation of our products has been our top
priority in recent months. However, the development of our pre-clinical
expertise and resources is also an important strategic objective.
Tim's appointment is key to realising this aim and ensuring that
we maintain a strong product pipeline going forward."
For more information please contact:
Maureen Lindsay, Ardana:
44 (0)131 226 8550
Julia Phillips, Financial Dynamics (corporate and financial
media relations):
44 (0)20 7831 3113
Nicki Brimicombe, NB Public Relation, (trade and technical
media relations):
44 (0)1883 732353
Notes for Editors
Ardana Limited is an emerging pharmaceutical
company with a specialised focus on reproductive health. The company
aims to become a leading source of clinical and commercial innovation
in the $20 billion human reproductive health market, which is
growing at 9% per annum. In addition to Striant™ SR, which Ardana
recently launched in the UK as a treatment for men with primary
or secondary hypogonadism, the company has marketing and manufacturing
rights in Europe and EFTA for Invicorp®, a patented combination
drug treatment for male erectile dysfunction. Ardana also has
a rich development portfolio including the Gonadotrophin Releasing
Hormone (GnRH)-antagonist, Teverelix LA, in Phase II trials in
patients with prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia;
Chronodyne® (terbutaline) which is in Phase I/II trials for
endometriosis-related infertility (being developed in collaboration
with Columbia Laboratories (NASDAQ: CBRX); and a reformulation
of the GnRH analog 'Leuprorelin' which has completed Phase II
trials for prostate cancer. www.ardana.co.uk
Ardana's therapeutic interests encompass androgen replacement,
prostatic disease, infertility, sexual dysfunction and obstetrics.
The company has exclusive rights to commercialise research by
the Medical Research Council (MRC)'s Human Reproductive Sciences
Unit (HRSU) in Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been at the forefront
of this area of research for the last 30 years. The HRSU contributes
a significant number of early stage development projects to the
Ardana development portfolio, which complement later stage and
marketed products. The MRC employs nearly 100 staff at the Unit,
which currently receives total annual funding of £3.8 million.
Ardana has raised £43.4 million in four funding rounds.
Ardana investors include DVC Deutsche Venture Capital, Albany
Venture Managers Limited and 3i Bioscience Investment Trust, Merlin
Biosciences Limited, MVM Limited (MVM), Techno Venture Management
(TVM), ABN-AMRO Participates, 3i Group plc, ISIS Equity Partners
plc, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Ltd, Saffron Hill
Ventures, Mitsubishi Corporation and Green Highlander, LLC.
back to top
|
|
