Koronis Pharmaceuticals Appoints Stephen Becker, M.D., Chief Medical Officer

SEATTLE, Oct. 26  /PRNewswire/ -- Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the appointment of Stephen Becker, M.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Becker joins Koronis from AnorMED (NASDAQ:ANOR) (TSX: AOM), where he currently serves as medical director and safety officer, clinical development.

"Stephen's extensive experience in the design and implementation of HIV clinical trials and proof-of-concept studies will be invaluable to Koronis as we advance our lead product candidate, KP-1461, into Phase 2 clinical trials," said Donald Elmer, chairman and interim chief executive officer of Koronis.

Dr. Becker brings to Koronis nearly 30 years of medical and research experience. He has served as principal investigator for numerous HIV trials and directed large multi-site, collaborative research studies in HIV including the Collaborations in HIV Outcomes Research (CHORUS) study, which involved more than 8,000 HIV patients. From 1980 to 2005 he served on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and led a practice specializing in HIV treatment. At AnorMED, Becker directed the clinical development program for the company's HIV entry inhibitor and stem cell mobilization programs.

"I believe that KP-1461 is a truly innovative approach to HIV treatment and look forward to directing the evaluation of this product candidate, which offers the potential of a novel mechanism of action," said Becker.

KP-1461 is an oral, small molecule antiviral designed to provide reduced toxicities and a novel treatment option for HIV patients. KP-1461 utilizes a new therapeutic approach called Viral Decay Acceleration, which works to eliminate a targeted virus by increasing the natural viral rate of mutation. Early clinical data from a Phase 1b trial of KP-1461 in multi-class experienced HIV patients with resistance to two or more conventional therapies has provided initial confirmation of those observations noted in vitro. KP-1461 is targeted to enter a Phase 2 trial in Q1 2007. A Phase 1a trial in 42 healthy subjects demonstrated that KP-1461 was well tolerated, with no dose-related toxicities.

About Koronis

Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company developing anti-viral therapeutics based on a novel mechanism, Viral Decay Acceleration (VDA). In addition to the Company's lead product candidate, KP-1461 for AIDS/HIV, the Company has products in development for the treatment of hepatitis C and RSV. For more information on Koronis, please visit http://www.koronispharma.com/ . 

DATASOURCE: Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.



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