Celtaxsys Brings Leading Researchers in Respiratory Diseases Together to Serve on Medical Advisory Panel

SAN FRANCISCO -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Celtaxsys, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs to treat chronic inflammatory disorders through innate immunity, today announced the appointments of Edward E. Philpot, M.D, J. Stuart Elborn, M.D., Richard B. Moss, M.D., Steven M. Rowe, M.D., M.S.P.H., and Michael S. Schechter, M.D., M.P.H., to its new Medical Advisory Panel.

"We are fortunate to have these leading clinical research professionals on our team. They each bring a wealth of unparalleled experience to Celtaxsys as we embark on the clinical development of CTX-4430 for patients with inflammatory disorders of the respiratory system, beginning with cystic fibrosis,” said Michael Hanley, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Celtaxsys. “The charge of the group is to help us efficiently move new products through the development and regulatory process, as well as bring us promising new ideas to improve patient care in cystic fibrosis and other inflammatory lung diseases.”

Dr. Edward E. Philpot has been appointed as Chair of Celtaxsys’ Medical Advisory Panel. Dr. Philpot has nearly 30 years of medical research experience and 15 years of pharmaceutical and device clinical research specializing in internal medicine, allergy and immunology. He has worked with Fortune 500 industrial manufacturing companies serving as Vice President of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Smith & Nephew, and as Global Executive Director of Respiratory and Immuno-Inflammation at GlaxoSmithKline. He also served as Director for Medical Therapeutics-Respiratory and Anti-Infectives in US Medical Affairs at Hoechst Marion Roussel.

Dr. J. Stuart Elborn is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Queens’ University Hospital in Belfast. He has served as Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Centre at Belfast City Hospital and the Chairman of Research and Medical Advisory committees of the CF Trust in the UK. He is the President of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society and Principal Investigator for the European arm of the VX-770 pivotal study. Dr. Elborn is focused on understanding pathophysiology of infection and inflammation and the translation of new therapies into clinical practice. He has been successful in developing programs of research across disciplines, hospitals and universities, as well as bringing scientists and clinicians together to promote inter-disciplinary research.

Dr. Richard B. Moss has over 30 years of experience and practice in areas such as pediatric allergy, immunology and pulmonary disease. Dr. Moss has been recognized as one of America's leading experts on cystic fibrosis, gene therapy and pediatric airway inflammation. He has been a member of the CF Foundation Clinical Research Committee and inaugural chair of the CF Therapeutics Development Network Protocol Review Committee. In addition to serving as Professor of Pediatrics and Pulmonary Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center and Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, Dr. Moss has also served on several study sections for the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Steven M. Rowe is an assistant professor in medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Pulmonology, and Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Rowe's research affiliations are with the CF Research Center and Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering. He currently serves as Director of the UAB Cystic Fibrosis Transition Clinic for adolescent young adults and Director of the CFF Therapeutics Development Network, Center for CFTR Detection. Dr. Rowe specializes in developing new treatments for CF and holds an interest in biomarkers of CF, including ion transport and the relation between mucus stasis and inflammation.

Dr. Michael S. Schechter is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and the Director of the CF Center at Emory University and at Children's at Egleston. He is also an Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health. His primary research interest has been an exploration of the causes of variation in disease severity in patients with CF and he has worked with the CF Foundation on fostering methods to improve the quality of care for children with the disease. He is a member of the CF Foundation Data Safety Monitoring Board and the current chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Pediatric Pulmonology.

About CTX-4430

CTX-4430 is a clinical-stage drug candidate designed to treat chronic inflammatory disorders including cystic fibrosis and other serious pulmonary inflammatory diseases such as systemic sclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. CTX-4430 works by inhibiting Leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H), the major rate-limiting step in Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production. LTB4 stands out as an early chemoattractant mediator of many types of pulmonary and systemic inflammation. Orally administered, CTX-4430 has been shown to reduce LTB4 production and to improve clinical signs and symptoms of the inflammatory disease state. CTX-4430 has the potential to become a novel treatment that combines successfully with new and current therapies in pulmonary and other inflammatory disorders.

About Celtaxsys

Celtaxsys is a privately-held clinical stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing new treatments for inflammatory diseases by modulating innate immunity. The Company is building a sustainable pipeline of first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action. For more information, please visit www.celtaxsys.com.