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| 8-K - IDENIX PHARMACEUTICALS INC | v179126_8k.htm |
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Idenix
Pharmaceuticals Contact:
Teri
Dahlman (617) 995-9905
IDENIX
PHARMACEUTICALS APPOINTS
TAMAR
D. HOWSON TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Cambridge, MA, March 30, 2010
- Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDIX), a biopharmaceutical company
engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human
viral diseases, today announced that it has appointed Tamar D. Howson to its
Board of Directors. Ms. Howson is currently a Partner at
JSB-Partners, a transaction advisory firm serving the life sciences
industry. Ms. Howson has extensive experience in licensing,
collaborations and M&A transactions in her 20-year career as a corporate and
business development executive and advisor to pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies.
“Tamar is
an internationally recognized pharmaceutical executive with broad industry
expertise in global business development and venture capital
investments. Over the course of her career, Ms. Howson has executed
close to 100 transactions in life sciences,” said Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, Ph.D.,
chairman and chief executive officer of Idenix. “Her background and strategic
insight will be an important asset to the Idenix Board of
Directors.”
Prior to
joining JSB-Partners, Ms. Howson was executive vice president of business
development at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals where she led the company’s partnering
and licensing efforts. From 2001 to 2007, Tamar was senior vice president
corporate and business development at Bristol Myers Squibb overseeing M&A,
licensing and research collaborations across all businesses. In 2000 and 2001,
Ms. Howson served as a business development and strategy consultant to
biotechnology companies in the United States and in Europe. Ms. Howson worked at
SmithKline Beecham from 1991 to 2000, where she was senior vice president and
director of business development, responsible for worldwide in-licensing and
business development. She also managed SR One, SmithKline Beecham’s $100 million
venture capital fund. Before joining SmithKline Beecham, Ms. Howson served as
vice president, venture investments at Johnson Associates, a venture capital
firm, and earlier as director, worldwide business development and licensing for
Squibb Corporation. In 1999, Ms. Howson received the Healthcare Businesswomen’s
Association “Woman of the Year” Award.
Ms.
Howson currently serves on the board of S*Bio Pte Ltd, a consultant to Pitnago
Venture Fund and is a member of the advisory board to Triana Venture
Partners. She previously served on the boards of Ariad
Pharmaceuticals, SkyPharma, NPS Pharma, Targacept, and HBA. Ms. Howson holds an
M.B.A from Columbia University, a M.S. from City College of New York and a B.S.
in Chemical Engineering from the Technion in Israel.
About
Idenix
Idenix
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a
biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for
the treatment of human viral diseases. Idenix's current focus is on the
treatment of chronic hepatitis C. For further information about Idenix, please
refer to www.idenix.com.
Forward-looking
Statements
This
press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe
harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including, but not limited to, the statements regarding the company’s future
business and financial performance. For this purpose, any statements contained
herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking
statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “expects,” “plans,”
“anticipates,” “will,” “estimates,” “projects,” “would,” “could,” “targets,” and
similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements, as
are express or implied statements with respect to the company’s clinical
development programs or commercialization activities in HIV or hepatitis C, or
any potential pipeline candidates and expectations with respect to additional
milestone payments, future royalty payments and cash balances at the end of
2009. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including but
not limited to: there can be no guarantees that historical sales of Tyzeka®/Sebivo®
(telbivudine) will in any way suggest future royalty payments or royalty rates
owed to the company, or that the company will advance any clinical product
candidate or other component of its potential pipeline to the clinic, to the
regulatory process or to commercialization; management’s expectations
could be affected by unexpected regulatory actions or delays; uncertainties
relating to, or unsuccessful results of, clinical trials, including additional
data relating to the ongoing clinical trials evaluating its product candidates;
the company’s ability to obtain additional funding required to conduct its
research, development and commercialization activities; the company’s dependence
on its collaborations with Novartis Pharma AG and GlaxoSmithKline; changes in
the company’s business plan or objectives; the ability of the company to attract
and retain qualified personnel; competition in general; and the company’s
ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property
protection for its product candidates and its discoveries. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. These and
other risks which may impact management’s expectations are described in greater
detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in the company’s annual report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), and in any subsequent periodic or current reports
that the company files with the SEC.
All
forward-looking statements reflect the company’s estimates only as of the date
of this release (unless another date is indicated) and should not be relied upon
as reflecting the company’s views, expectations or beliefs at any date
subsequent to the date of this release. While Idenix may elect to
update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if the company’s estimates
change.
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