GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb 21, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- MedImmune,
Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDI) announced today the promotion of Gail Folena-Wasserman,
Ph.D. to senior vice president, development, and the appointment of William
Bertrand, J.D. as vice president, legal affairs and James M. Pluda, M.D. as vice
president and group leader, clinical research. Dr. Folena-Wasserman is
responsible for all process and analytical methods development, as well as for
production of product candidates for clinical testing. Mr. Bertrand is
responsible for legal matters including, commercial issues, contracts,
intellectual property and litigation. Dr. Pluda is responsible for overseeing
MedImmune's clinical programs in the oncology arena.
"It is very exciting today at MedImmune to see the talent and leadership which
have developed within the company as well as the tremendous new talent we are
able to attract from the outside," said David M. Mott, chief executive officer.
"Gail Folena-Wasserman joined us ten years ago as the first member of our
development group, and today leads a department of 150. Under Gail's leadership,
the development group has been one of the most productive and cohesive teams in
the company, consistently delivering excellence and creativity.
"Bill Bertrand joins us from Pharmacia where he gained tremendous experience
with the complex legal issues surrounding advertising, promotion and pricing
while working on the Celebrex(R) team. Prior experience also includes corporate
and licensing matters as well as commercial litigation. Jim Pluda is a
nationally recognized leader in oncology drug development and angiogenesis and
comes to MedImmune after 16 years at the National Cancer Institute. I am pleased
to have the opportunity to recognize Gail for her leadership at MedImmune over
the past ten years and to welcome Bill and Jim to the MedImmune leadership
team."
Gail Folena-Wasserman joined MedImmune, Inc. in 1991 as director, development
after nine years in natural products isolation and biopharmaceutical process
development at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Her responsibilities
currently include oversight of all cell culture and purification process
development, clinical manufacturing, analytical methods development, and quality
control for investigational products. Folena- Wasserman holds a bachelor's
degree in biology and chemistry from Montclair State College in New Jersey, and
has a master's degree in biochemistry and a doctorate in chemistry from the
Pennsylvania State University.
Bill Bertrand joins MedImmune from Pharmacia Corporation where he held a variety
of positions over his four-year tenure within the legal department, most
recently holding the title of associate general counsel. In that role, Bertrand
was responsible for global legal support for various Pharmacia products. His
experience at Pharmacia also includes advertising and promotion review, pricing
issues, federal and state governmental legislative issues, contract negotiation
and drafting, and fraud and abuse prevention and training. Prior to Pharmacia,
Bertrand was in private practice with a large Michigan-based law firm. He has a
bachelor's degree in biology from Wayne State University and a juris doctorate
degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jim Pluda joins MedImmune after 16 years at the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
a division of the National Institutes of Health, where he held a number of
increasingly responsible positions. Most recently he was a senior clinical
investigator in the developmental chemotherapy section of the NCI's
investigational drug branch in the cancer therapy evaluation program, as well as
an attending physician of the HIV and AIDS malignancy branch of the intramural
Clinical Cancer Research program. His experiences at the NCI included
identifying new agents and directing the clinical development of angiogenesis
inhibitors and other agents. Prior to the NCI, Pluda completed his training in
internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Pluda has authored or coauthored over 87
publications and has been an invited presenter or chairperson at numerous
oncology meetings and symposia. He earned his medical degree from the University
of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School and his bachelor's of science degree
from McGill University in Montreal.
MedImmune is a leading biotechnology company focused on researching, developing
and commercializing products to prevent or treat infectious disease, autoimmune
disease and cancer. MedImmune currently markets three products, Synagis(R)
(palivizumab), Ethyol(R) (amifostine) and CytoGam(R) (cytomegalovirus immune
globulin intravenous (human)), and has 12 products in clinical testing.
MedImmune employs over 1,400 people, is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland,
and has additional operations in Frederick, Maryland, as well as Pennsylvania,
California, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. For more information on
MedImmune, visit the company's website at http://www.medimmune.com .
Celebrex(R) is a registered trademark of Pharmacia Corporation.
This announcement may contain, in addition to historical information, certain
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements
reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions. Actual
results could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a result of
a number of factors, including risks and uncertainties discussed in the
company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company
is developing several products for potential future marketing. There can be no
assurance that such development efforts will succeed, that such products will
receive required regulatory clearance or that, even if such regulatory clearance
were received, such products would ultimately achieve commercial success.
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X13665887
SOURCE MedImmune, Inc.
CONTACT: Lori Weiman, Senior Director, Corporate Communications,
+1-301-527-4321, or Will Roberts, Manager, Investor Relations,
+1-301-527-4358, both of MedImmune, Inc.
URL: http://www.medimmune.com
http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright (C) 2002 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.