REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2015--
Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HRTX), a biotechnology company focused
on improving the lives of patients by developing best-in-class medicines
that address major unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment
of Neil J. Clendeninn, M.D., Ph.D. as Senior Vice President and Chief
Medical Officer. Dr. Clendeninn joins the Company today and will report
to Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., Chief Executive Officer of Heron.
“Neil has been instrumental as an advisor to the Company, specifically
in his guidance during our recently completed MAGIC study for SUSTOL®
(granisetron) Injection, extended release, and we are delighted that he
will be joining us as a permanent member of our team,” commented Barry
D. Quart, Pharm.D., Chief Executive Officer of Heron. “Neil brings over
30 years of experience in drug development and clinical practice to his
role at Heron, and we look forward to his leadership in all areas of our
business as we move forward in our goals of developing best-in-class
medicines with the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering
from cancer or pain.”
Since 2001, Dr. Clendeninn has been the president of CANAID, Inc. his
own consultancy firm, and prior to joining Heron, he was an advisor to
the Company in that capacity. Additionally, Dr. Clendeninn is currently
a practicing physician and serves as Program Director for Palliative
Medicine Partners: Complex Illness Coordination, a program of Kauai
Hospice in Kauai, Hawaii. From 1993 until 2001, Dr. Clendeninn served as
Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Affairs at Agouron Inc. Prior
to this, beginning in 1985, he was Director of the Clinical Oncology
Department at Burroughs-Welcome Company. Simultaneous to these roles,
Dr. Clendeninn served as a practicing physician and held academic
faculty roles at various institutions, among them, the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Cancer Institute at the
National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD. In addition, Dr.
Clendeninn currently sits on several Boards, including the Board of
Directors at OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals in Bothell, WA, and is a
Scientific Medical Advisor at the Cancer Prevention & Research
Initiative of Texas. Previously, he served on the Board of Scientific
Advisors at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of
Health, from 2001 through 2005. He received an M.D. and Ph.D. degree in
microbiology and pharmacology from New York University in New York, NY.
About Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
Heron Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on improving
the lives of patients by developing best-in-class medicines that address
major unmet medical needs. Heron is developing novel, patient-focused
solutions that apply its innovative science and technologies to
already-approved pharmacological agents. Heron’s goal is to build on
therapeutics with well-known pharmacology by improving their
tolerability and efficacy as well as broadening their potential field of
use. Heron is currently developing four pharmaceutical products for
patients suffering from cancer or pain. SUSTOL® (granisetron)
Injection, extended release is being developed for the prevention of
both acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)
associated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) or highly
emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). CINV is one of the most debilitating side
effects of chemotherapy and is a leading cause of premature
discontinuation of cancer treatment. Heron recently reported positive,
top-line results from its Phase 3 MAGIC study. In July 2015, Heron
resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) for SUSTOL to the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), and the FDA has assigned a Prescription
Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of January 17, 2016. HTX-019, also
being developed for the prevention of CINV, has the potential to become
the first polysorbate 80-free, intravenous formulation of aprepitant, a
neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist. Heron intends to file
an NDA for HTX-019 using the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway in the second
half of 2016. HTX-011 is Heron’s long-acting formulation of the local
anesthetic bupivacaine in a fixed-dose combination with the
anti-inflammatory meloxicam. In September 2015, Heron reported positive,
top-line results from a Phase 2 study of HTX-011 in patients undergoing
bunionectomy. In this study, HTX-011 significantly reduced pain
intensity and the need for opioid rescue medications. HTX-011 is the
subject of a broad-based development program designed to target the many
patients undergoing a wide range of surgeries who experience significant
post-operative pain. HTX-003, a long-acting formulation of
buprenorphine, is being developed for the potential management of
chronic pain and opioid addiction. All of Heron’s product candidates
utilize Heron’s innovative science and technology platforms, including
its proprietary Biochronomer® drug delivery technology, which
can deliver therapeutic levels of a wide range of otherwise short-acting
pharmacological agents over a period of days to weeks with a single
injection.
For more information, please visit www.herontx.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Heron cautions
readers that forward-looking statements are based on management’s
expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release and are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but
are not limited to, those associated with: whether the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) approves the SUSTOL NDA as submitted or
supports as broad of a labeled indication for SUSTOL as requested, the
progress in the research and development of HTX-019, HTX-011, HTX-003
and our other programs, including the timing of preclinical, clinical,
and manufacturing activities, safety and efficacy results from our
studies that may not justify the pursuit of further development of our
product candidates, the launch and acceptance of SUSTOL and new products
generally, our financial position and our ability to raise additional
capital to fund operations, if necessary, or to pursue additional
business opportunities, strategic business alliances we may pursue or
the potential acquisition of products or technologies, and our ability
to grow our organization to sustain the commercial launch for SUSTOL,
and other risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements
reflect our analysis only on their stated date, and Heron takes no
obligation to update or revise these statements except as may be
required by law.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151012005034/en/
Source: Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
Investor Relations Contact:
Jennifer
Capuzelo, 858-703-6063
Associate Director, Investor Relations
jcapuzelo@herontx.com
or
Corporate
Contact:
Barry D. Quart, Pharm D., 650-366-2626
Chief
Executive Officer