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NitroMed Announces the Appointment of
Frank L. Douglas, Ph.D., M.D. to its Board of Directors
LEXINGTON,MA
BUSINESS WIRE
April 13, 2005
NitroMed Inc (NASDAQ: NTMD) today announced that Frank L. Douglas,
Ph.D., M.D. has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Dr. Douglas
is currently Executive in Residence at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Sloan School of Management where he is establishing
the interdisciplinary Center for Biomedical Innovation. Dr. Douglas
was previously Chief Scientific Officer, Executive Vice President
and a member of the Board of Management of Aventis.
"Dr. Frank Douglas is an outstanding member of the pharmaceutical
industry who brings a wealth of research, development and commercial
expertise to NitroMed's Board," commented Michael D. Loberg,
Ph.D., President and CEO of NitroMed. "We look forward to working
with Dr. Douglas and believe that he will make excellent contributions
to NitroMed's corporate governance, particularly as BiDil moves toward
potential FDA approval and commercialization and as we seek to continue
to develop our pipeline of nitric oxide enhancing medicines in the
cardiovascular arena."
"I look forward to working with NitroMed in the planned launch
of BiDil, pending FDA approval," said Dr. Frank Douglas. "Subject
to FDA approval, BiDil may provide a new treatment option for African
Americans who are disproportionately burdened with heart failure,
and NitroMed has the further potential to continue creating important
new medicines based on their nitric oxide expertise developed over
the last decade."
Dr. Frank Douglas held management leadership and Board positions at
Hoechst Marion Roussell, Marion Merrell Dow and Ciba Geigy prior to
his tenure at Aventis. He has been a member of the Board of Directors
of several public and private life science companies and organizations
including serving as the past Chairman of the Executive Committee
of the Science & Regulatory Section of the Pharmaceutical Research
and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA), former member of
the Board of Directors of Medtronic, Inc., former member of the Scientific
Advisory Board of the FDA, and former member of the Chemistry Visiting
Committee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Douglas
holds a Ph.D in Physical Chemistry and an M.D. from Cornell University
and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology
and Director of the Hypertension Clinic of the Pritzker School of
Medicine, University of Chicago.
About NitroMed, Inc.
NitroMed is an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on the research,
development and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceuticals based
on the therapeutic benefits of the naturally occurring molecule nitric
oxide. The Company uses its expertise in nitric oxide biology and
chemistry in an effort to develop both new pharmaceuticals, as well
as safer, more effective versions of existing drugs. Research and
development efforts focus on major diseases that are characterized
by a deficiency in nitric oxide, such as cardiovascular and inflammatory
diseases. BiDil, the Company's lead product candidate, is an orally
administered nitric oxide-enhancing medicine being developed for the
treatment of heart failure in African Americans. Corporate collaborations
are also an element of the Company's business strategy, and NitroMed
has an agreement with Boston Scientific to jointly develop nitric
oxide-enhanced cardiovascular stents.
Forward Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans
and prospects for the Company, including statements regarding the
Company's plans and expectations regarding its drug candidate BiDil,
its development plans for other nitric-oxide enhancing medicines,
as well as statements containing the words "believe," "anticipate,"
"plan," "expect," "will," "may,"
"seek," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those
indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various
important factors, including risks relating to: difficulties or delays
relating to required regulatory approvals to develop, market and sell
BiDil and the Company's other products under development; the Company's
ability to successfully complete clinical trials of its products under
development; the Company's dependence on corporate collaborators to
develop, manufacture, market and sell products based upon its technologies;
the Company's failure to obtain or maintain intellectual property
protection and required licenses for its technologies and products
under development; the Company's ability to obtain the substantial
additional funding required to conduct research and development, manufacturing,
marketing and sales of its products under development; and other factors
discussed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2004, which is filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking
statements included in this press release represent the Company's
views as of the date of this release. The Company anticipates that
subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views
to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking
statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims
any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not
be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date
subsequent to the date of this release.
Contacts
NitroMed, Inc.
Lawrence E. Bloch, M.D., J.D., 781-266-4197
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer
(c) Business Wire 2005
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