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The keynote speaker will be Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, the George Barth Geller Professor for Research in Cardiovascular Diseases and a Professor of Medicine and of Biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Stamler will review his research work at Duke University, which focuses on the regulatory role of nitric oxide (NO) in the cardiovascular system. In particular, Dr. Stamler will outline the rationale behind the development of NO-based therapeutic modality in the management of patients with heart failure. The risk of sudden cardiac death in heart failure patients is six to nine times greater than that of the general population. Heart failure is responsible for 280,000 deaths annually in the US.
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Dr. Stamler's presentation will be preceded by a short corporate overview by Cordex's chief executive officer, James S. Kuo, MD, MBA, and an update by the Company's chief scientific officer, Amir Pelleg, PhD, on the Company's lead drug candidate, ATPace, for the treatment and diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias. Cordex expects to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial with ATPace. The Phase 3 protocol is currently under consideration by the FDA under a Special Protocol Assessment provision.
Cordex's event will be held at the Yale Club in New York City. A buffet lunch will be provided beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST. Due to meeting room size limitations, in person attendance is by invitation only. To request an invitation, please call Redington Inc. at (212) 926-1733.
A webcast of the presentation can be accessed by any registered participants and will be made available at http://www.cordexpharma.com/index2_files/investor.htm. Registration for the webcast begins at 11:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, January 29. Please check in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time at 12:00 p.m. EST to allow for a short registration process. The webcast will be archived for at least 14 days following the presentation.
"We are pleased to have Dr. Stamler present his group's cutting-edge cardiovascular research at Duke University and the nitric oxide/redox imbalance in heart failure as a novel target for drug development," said Dr. Kuo, chief executive officer of Cordex. "While there are several available therapies for heart failure, Cordex's investigational drugs, which are based on proprietary technology developed by Dr. Stamler, are designed to restore nitric oxide/redox balance in the failing heart and improve excitation-contraction coupling and cardiac pumping efficiency."
Dr. Stamler completed his undergraduate studies at Brandeis University, earned his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and completed his medical residency and fellowship training in both cardiology and pulmonary medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Stamler joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as Assistant Professor of Medicine in October 1993. In December 1993, he joined the faculty of Duke University as an Associate Professor of Medicine, and in 1996, was promoted to full Professor.
Dr. Stamler's work has centered on elucidating the fundamental physiological regulatory roles of nitric oxide mediated by S-nitrosylation, a ubiquitous protein modification. The ramifications of his work extend to all major classes of proteins: ion channels, receptors, G proteins, transcription factors, membrane trafficking proteins and numerous enzymes that are now known to be regulated by S-nitrosylation. Accumulating evidence suggests that many disease states are associated with aberrant protein S-nitrosylation. Dr. Stamler's group also identified the enzyme responsible for bioactivation of nitroglycerin, the ability of red blood cells to dilate blood vessels and a role for nitric oxide in the human respiratory cycle.
Duke University and Johns Hopkins University has awarded Cordex an exclusive worldwide license to a portfolio of compounds targeting the redox-NO imbalance as a new therapeutic modality in the management of patients with heart failure disease. Dr. Stamler is a scientific consultant to Cordex.
About Cordex Pharma, Inc.
Cordex is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops new cardiovascular medicines based upon the emerging pharmacology of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nitric oxide (NO). These two molecules play critical roles in cellular metabolism and signal transduction, the manipulation of which constitute novel therapeutic modalities for the treatment of major cardiovascular disorders. Cordex is developing a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic products, two of which are in advanced stages of clinical development. Cordex's ATPace is expected to enter a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia early in 2009. Cordex's CDP-1050 is also expected to commence a Phase 2 safety clinical trial in heart failure patients early in 2009. In addition, Cordex has a preclinical program to develop new chemical entities that target a recently discovered pathway in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For further information regarding Cordex, please visit the company's website at www.cordexpharma.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections made by management. Cordex intends for the forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," or variations of such words are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All statements in this release regarding the future outlook related to Cordex are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the statements regarding ATPace's expected entry into a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and the anticipated results of the trial, CDP-1050's expected commencement of a Phase 2 safety clinical trial in heart failure patients. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Such risks include the risk that the clinical trial for approval of ATPace and the Phase 2 clinical trial for our CDP-1050 investigational drug may not be successful, that our preclinical program to develop new chemical entities that target a newly discovered pathway in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may not be successful, and that our technology may not lead to expected results including the development or the successful commercialization of technologies relating to the use of ATP or nitric oxide. Additional uncertainties and risks are described in Cordex's most recently filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-KSB, all quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and any current reports on Form 8-K filed since the date of the last Form 10-KSB. Copies of these filings are available through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to Cordex on the date hereof. Cordex undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
SOURCE Cordex Pharma, Inc.
