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January 6, 2003
Neurochem appoints Dr. Philippe Calais as new President.
- Dr. Francesco Bellini, Chairman and CEO of Neurochem Inc. (TSX:NRM), is pleased to
announce the appointment of Dr. Philippe Calais as President of Neurochem, effective
January 6, 2003. Dr. Calais brings to the Company two decades of solid expertise in the
pharmaceutical industry which includes international business development and strategic
marketing extending from senior administration, regulatory affairs, R&D, staff training
to incentive programs. Just prior to joining Neurochem, Dr. Calais served as General Manager
of Servier Canada Inc.
"We are very happy to welcome a person of Dr. Calais' enormous experience and
credentials to the Neurochem team," said Dr. Bellini. "With Neurochem now
approaching the market with one of its key product candidates, Fibrillex™, Dr. Calais'
international background in key areas of pharmaceutical industry management will be
important to guide the introduction of the Company's future products on the global market
place."
In his position as General Manager of Servier Canada, Dr. Calais had the opportunity to
successfully launch two new products and to strengthen the profitability of the sales
force while expanding market coverage. His responsibilities encompassed pricing, regulatory
affairs, business development and marketing.
Dr. Calais also acquired extensive experience over a ten-year period with Hoffmann-La Roche
where he served, among other positions, as Global Business Leader for Anti-infectives at
the head office in Basel, Switzerland, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager in
Switzerland and Health Economics Manager in New Jersey, USA.
Before joining Hoffmann-La Roche, Dr. Calais served as International Clinical Research
Associate with ICI Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in the U.K.
Dr. Calais holds a Bachelors Degree in Biology and Science from the Lycée Louis
Thullier in Amiens, France, a Pharmacy Degree with industry specialization from the
Université François Rabelais in Tours, France and a Doctorate in Pharmacy
from the same university. He is an Executive Board member of the Cité des Biotech
de Laval, in Quebec, Canada.
About Neurochem
Neurochem is a product-driven, specialty pharmaceutical company which offers a new class
of drug candidates to prevent and stop the progression of diseases for which no cure
exists. The Company's strong and growing pipeline will meet unmet medical needs and is
focused on disorders of the central nervous system and amyloid-related diseases. Neurochem's
most advanced product candidate is Fibrillex™, in pivotal Phase II/III clinical
development for the treatment of Secondary Amyloidosis, a fatal kidney disease. Two other
product candidates in Phase II clinical development are Alzhemed™ for the treatment
of Alzheimer's disease and Cerebril™ for Hemorrhagic Stroke due to Cerebral Amyloid
Angiopathy. At the pre-clinical development stage, the Company has two potential products
targeting Diabetes Type 2 and Epileptic Seizures induced by traumatic brain
injury (www.neurochem.com).
All of the statements contained in this news release, other than statements of fact which
are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such
statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve
numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown. Some examples of known risks are: the
impact of general economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical industry, changes
in the regulatory environment in the jurisdictions in which Neurochem does business, stock
market volatility, fluctuations in costs, and changes to the competitive environment due to
consolidation or otherwise. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from
the anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements.
For further Information, please contact:
Dr. Lise Hébert
Vice-president, Corporate Communications
lhebert@neurochem.com
275 Armand-Frappier
Laval (Quebec)
H7V 4A7
Tel: (450) 680-4500
Fax: (450) 680-4501
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