Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Forms Scientific Advisory BoardActon Partners with Leaders in Respiratory Medicine Including Clinical, Academic, and Public Policy Experts Whose Focus is to Improve Asthma Care in the U.S.MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 24, 2010 -- Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Acton), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing respiratory therapies, announced today the formation of the company's scientific advisory board. The eight advisory board members, who are each acknowledged as opinion leaders in the field of respiratory care, will play a key role in advising Acton on its current and future research and development programs and corporate strategy relating to improving asthma and respiratory care in the U.S.
"We are honored to have assembled such a prestigious group of advisors," said John W. Simon, Chief Executive Officer of Acton Pharmaceuticals. "The insights into asthma and how patients are affected will be invaluable. This is perhaps our most important step as we begin preparations to commercialize Acton's first respiratory product, AEROSPAN(tm), an inhaled corticosteroid, targeted for launch in early 2011."
Chairing Acton's Advisory Board is Dr. Kenneth Newman, Chief Medical Advisor, Acton Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Newman is a board certified Pulmonologist, asthma expert, and pharmaceutical development veteran, who previously led respiratory clinical development at Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) and most recently, was head of Medical Affairs at Boehringer-Ingelheim. "We are excited to work alongside such a well-renowned group of specialists," said Dr. Newman. "This team will play an important role in realizing Acton's goals of developing medicines and supporting good public policy, both aimed at improving the lives of adults and children who suffer from asthma and respiratory disease."
The other members of Acton's scientific advisory board are:
- Dr. William Berger - Clinical Professor at the College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, and Adjunct Professor of Health Care Management in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Irvine. He is Board Certified in both pediatrics and allergy and immunology and trained at National Jewish Health. He is the founder of Allergy and Asthma Associates of Southern California, is a Past President of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and has authored numerous academic papers.
- Dr. Thomas Casale - Professor of Medicine and Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Chief of Allergy/Immunology at Creighton University in Omaha. He is Past-President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (2007-2008) and is currently the Executive Vice-President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He has published over 250 scientific papers and chapters.
- Dr. Gene Colice - Director of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Respiratory Services at Washington Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at George Washington University. Dr. Colice has written or edited several books. He also is Chairman for the Committee on Health and Science Policy for the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).
- Dr. Jonathan Corren - Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is active in the training of medical students, residents, and allergy fellows. He serves as Co-Director of the UCLA Nasal and Sinus Disease Center and is Medical Director at the Allergy Research Foundation in Los Angeles. He trained at National Jewish Health, has authored more than 90 articles, chapters, and abstracts in the areas of allergy and clinical immunology and is an active reviewer for multiple medical journals.
- Dr. Harold Nelson - Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health. Dr. Nelson has a large number of awards including lifetime achievement awards and named lectures from both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. He has published over 300 articles and book chapters.
- Dr. John Oppenheimer - Director of Clinical Research at Pulmonary and Allergy Associates, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the New Jersey Medical School, and is on the board of directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology and trained and at National Jewish Health. Dr. Oppenheimer has participated over 100 clinical studies with over 80 publications and serves on the Editorial Board or as a reviewer for multiple medical journals.
- Nancy Sander - President of the only national family-founded patient education, advocacy and outreach organization focused on asthma and allergy. Nancy is an original member of the Coordinating Committee for the National Institutes of Health Asthma Guidelines. The organization was responsible for changing federal and state laws, which now allow students to carry and use asthma inhalers and has worked with Congress to eliminate reimbursement for illegally manufactured nebulized respiratory medications. Nancy's organization is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as the world's leading patient advocate for the transition from CFC to HFA inhalers.
About Acton Acton is a specialty respiratory pharmaceutical company dedicated to acquiring, developing, and commercializing prescription drugs to improve the well-being of patients. Acton's partnership with Forest Laboratories, a leading U.S. pharmaceutical company, gives Acton exclusive rights to develop and market AEROSPAN in the $7.0 billion inhaled steroid market1. The Company is currently completing development of AEROSPAN and is targeting a 2011 U.S. launch.
Acton's corporate headquarters are located in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Important Safety InformationAEROSPAN Inhalation Aerosol is an orally inhaled corticosteroid indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older. AEROSPAN is not a bronchodilator and is not indicated for rapid relief of bronchospasm.
In clinical trials, AEROSPAN was generally well tolerated. Particular care is needed in patients transferred from systemically active corticosteroids to AEROSPAN Inhalation Aerosol because deaths due to adrenal insufficiency have occurred in asthmatic patients transferred from systemically active corticosteroids to less systemically active inhaled corticosteroids. The most common adverse reactions (>3%) were headache, fever, allergic reaction, bacterial infection, pain and back pain, vomiting, dyspepsia, pharyngitis, rhinitis, cough, sinusitis, epistaxis, rash, urinary tract infection.
Treatment with orally inhaled corticosteroids may lead to signs or symptoms of hypercorticism, suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function and/or suppression of growth in children. Glaucoma, increased intraocular pressure and cataracts have been reported following the administration of inhaled corticosteroids.
About AsthmaAsthma is a chronic lung disease caused by airway inflammation and results in airway constriction in response to certain stimuli. It is characterized by a variety of symptoms including wheezing, coughing and a tightening of the airways, which causes shortness of breath and can be life-threatening2.
Approximately 22 million Americans have asthma. Annually, the disease is responsible for nearly 2 million emergency room visits and accounts for an estimated $11.5 billion in health care costs3. Every day in America 40,000 people miss school or work because of asthma; 30,000 people have an asthma attack; 5,000 people visit the emergency room; 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital; and 11 people die due to their asthma condition4.
For a copy of this release, please visit Acton's web site at www.actonpharmaceuticals.com
Aerospan is a trademark of Forest Laboratories, Inc.
Contact:
Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Daniel L. Kreisler, President
dkreisler@actonpharmaceuticals.com
914.741.0107
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1 2008 IMS NPA
2National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI)
3American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Asthma Statistics
4American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Asthma Statistics
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