Dr. Fischette was most recently an executive at Novartis Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NVS) where she was Executive Director Global Business Development and Licensing and Head/Negotiation for the General Medicine Business Franchise Board. Among her responsibilities at Novartis was the setting of strategic direction and execution of multiple collaborations involving in-licensing, research, co-development/co-commercialization and asset acquisition in a variety of therapeutic fields across diverse geographic areas, including US, Europe, Japan and India.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Fischette to Enzo, where her responsibilities will include strategic development and implementation of all operational aspects at Enzo Therapeutics, including developing and gaining regulatory approval for our products, developing partnership opportunities and ultimately bringing our therapies to market,” said Dr. Elazar Rabbani, Chairman and CEO of Enzo Biochem, Inc. “Dr. Fischette’s extensive experience at Novartis, Pfizer and Roche makes her uniquely qualified to lead our efforts in therapeutics.”
At Pfizer Dr. Fischette co-led and executed negotiations involving multi-million dollar deals for a variety of therapeutic areas, including diabetes and male impotence. She also directed the domestic marketing and medical teams for diabetes-related pharmaceuticals and services, including the Glucotrol XL®/Glucotrol® franchise, and co-developed and implemented the first diabetes disease management program in cooperation with the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Fischette also was responsible for Phase IV strategic development, roll-out and launch of clinical programs for a newly approved oral hypoglycemic agent, and for all aspects of clinical and non-clinical drug development programs for FDA approval involving CNS drugs and Glucotrol XL®, among others.
Dr. Fischette joined Novartis in 1999, after serving for 12 years at Pfizer where she held successive positions of increasing responsibilities. Previously, Dr. Fischette was a senior research scientist at Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. She holds a B.A. in biology education from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Biomedical Science, following which she was an Adjunct and Post-doctoral Fellow at Rockefeller University. She has authored over 50 original research publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Science.
Enzo Therapeutics has several clinical studies in progress. Optiquel™ (B27PD) Enzo’s therapeutic candidate for the treatment of uveitis, and Alequel™, the Company’s innovative immune regulation medicine for treatment of Crohn’s disease, are in various stages of clinical evaluation. The Company is also developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of fatty liver, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, otherwise known as NASH, as well as for the treatment of HIV-I infection. Enzo also has a number of new compounds in preclinical development that could provide therapy for treating bone disorders, including osteoporosis, bone loss, fractures, osteonecrosis, and other diseases involving diabetes, etc.
About Enzo
Enzo Biochem is engaged in the research, development, manufacture and licensing of innovative health care products and technologies based on molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, and in providing diagnostic services to the medical community. Enzo’s Life Sciences division develops, produces and markets proprietary labeling and detection products for gene sequencing, genetic analysis and immunological research among others. Its catalog of over 25,000 products serves the molecular biology, drug discovery and pathology research markets. The Company's therapeutic division is in various stages of clinical evaluation of its proprietary gene medicine for HIV-1 infection and its proprietary immune regulation medicines for uveitis, Crohn's Disease, and NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), and conducts pre-clinical research on several candidate compounds aimed at producing new mineral and organic bone, including technology that could provide therapy for osteoporosis and fractures, among other applications. Enzo’s Clinical Labs division provides routine and esoteric reference laboratory services for physicians in the New York Metropolitan and New Jersey areas. Underpinning the Company’s technology and operations is an extensive intellectual property estate in which Enzo owns or licenses over 200 patents worldwide, and has pending applications for over 180 more. For more information visit our website www.enzo.com.
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this news release may be considered "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements include declarations regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect actual results. The Company disclaims any obligations to update any forward-looking statement as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.
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Contact:
For: Enzo Biochem, Inc.
Steve Anreder, 212-532-3232 Or Michael Wachs, CEOcast, Inc., 212-732-4300