New York, November 15—Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc,Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Names Charles Williams as Senior Vice President, Manufacturing
New York, November 15—Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of eye disease, today announced the appointment of Mr. Charles Williams as Senior Vice President, Manufacturing. In his new position, Mr. Williams will be responsible for oversight of manufacturing, process technology and quality control functions pursuant to an anticipated launch and commercialization of Eyetech’s lead compound, Macugen™ (pegaptanib sodium).
Eyetech Pharmaceuticals recently announced completion of enrollment in two pivotal Phase III trials of Macugen for the treatment of exudative (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among Americans over the age of 55. Eyetech is developing Macugen, an aptamer that binds to and neutralizes Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), alone and in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) for patients eligible for PDT. The FDA granted Macugen “fast-track” designation for the treatment of exudative AMD as well as diabetic macular edema (DME) because of the product’s potential to fulfill an unmet medical need.
Dr. David Guyer, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals’ co-founder and CEO, commented, “Chuck Williams is an important addition to the Eyetech team, and his talents will be especially critical as we progress through the current registration studies towards NDA submission for Macugen. Chuck’s background in manufacturing operations is exemplary, and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team.” Mr. Williams will serve on the Company’s Executive Committee.
“Eyetech has one of the most exciting products in late-stage testing and has put in place one of the most sophisticated operations to produce quantities of drug sufficient for clinical testing,” said Mr. Williams. “I’m very excited to be able to assist Eyetech in their quest to become a fully integrated biotechnology company and build the necessary infrastructure in support of the company’s first submission to the FDA.”
Mr. Williams has more than 28 years’ experience in manufacturing operations for the life sciences industry. At Cohesion Technologies, he helped lead the company through FDA approval and launch of its first proprietary product for vascular reconstruction surgery. He has also recently managed facility start-up through licensure for Amgen’s manufacture of Enbrel® on the East Coast.
Mr. Williams has also held the position of Vice President, Operations at Fusion Medical Technologies, and Senior Director of Operations at Genetics Institute (GI). He managed the construction, start-up and validation of a biopharmaceutical manufacturing operation at GI, leading efforts related to two important products, including GI’s first-generation recombinant factor VIII product.
Prior to this, at Collagen Corporation, Mr. Williams held senior management positions including Vice President, Operations and Vice President, Manufacturing. During his tenure at Collagen, he was responsible for all operations and process development. Mr. Williams also worked for nine years at Squibb Pharmaceuticals, attaining the position of Manager of Parenteral Manufacturing, United States.
Mr. Williams received his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and graduated from the executive MBA program from Stanford University.
About Eyetech Pharmaceuticals
Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a privately held, New York City-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs to reduce and prevent vision loss caused by eye diseases. Eyetech is also focused on developing new technologies to deliver drugs safely to the back of the eye. The Company has brought together experienced pharmaceutical industry executives and a world-class team of thought leaders in ophthalmology from leading medical centers, such as Harvard, Stanford, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, NYU and Columbia.
Contacts:
Justin Jackson
Burns McClellan for Eyetech Pharmaceuticals
212-213-0006
