InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV), a drug delivery
company with a focus on technologies for the treatment of spinal cord
injuries (SCI) and neurotrauma conditions, today announced that Lou
Vaickus, MD has been appointed as interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO),
effective October 15, 2013, for a period of one year.
Currently, Dr. Vaickus is President of akta Pharmaceutical Development
LLC. Prior to that, he served as Vice President and Head, Clinical
Development, Global Medicines Development and Affairs at Vertex
Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Vertex, Dr. Vaickus was CMO of Tolerx,
Inc. from 2002 to 2011. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President,
Medical Affairs and R&D at Sunovion (formerly Sepracor) from 1998 to
2002, and as Medical Director at EMD Serono (formerly Ares Serono) from
1993 to 1998. In these roles, Dr. Vaickus successfully led the
development of products in multiple therapeutic areas.
Michael Astrue, the interim CEO of InVivo, stated, “We are excited to
have Dr. Vaickus join us at this critical juncture in the company’s
development. With his judgment and experience, he will help us bring our
scaffold product into the clinic, he will help us define the best
opportunities for our hydrogel technology, and he will help us enter
into the types of partnerships that create value for a successful drug
delivery company.”
Eric Woodard, MD will continue his longstanding relationship with InVivo
as a consultant and member of the Scientific Advisory Board.
About InVivo Therapeutics
InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. focuses on utilizing polymers as a
platform technology to develop treatments for serious diseases and
conditions, including improving function in individuals paralyzed as a
result of traumatic spinal cord injury. The Company was founded in 2005
with proprietary technology co-invented by Robert Langer, ScD.,
Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Joseph P.
Vacanti, M.D., who is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. In
2011 the Company earned the David S. Apple Award from the American
Spinal Injury Association for its outstanding contribution to spinal
cord injury medicine. The publicly traded company is headquartered in
Cambridge, MA. For more details, visit, www.invivotherapeutics.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe
historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the federal securities laws. Any forward-looking statements
contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties, and include statements regarding the
Company’s expectations with respect to the commencement of human
clinical trials for the scaffold product and with respect to possible
partnerships. The factors that could cause actual future results to
differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited
to, risks and uncertainties relating to the identification of
appropriate clinical sites; the Institutional Review Board process; the
Company’s ability to enter into partnerships; the Company’s ability to
obtain FDA approval to commercialize its products; the Company’s ability
to develop, market and sell products based on its technology; the
expected benefits and efficacy of the Company’s products and technology
in connection with spinal cord injuries; the availability of substantial
additional funding for the Company to continue its operations and to
conduct research and development, clinical studies and future product
commercialization; and other risks associated with the Company’s
business, research, product development, regulatory approval, marketing
and distribution plans and strategies identified and described in more
detail in our filings with the SEC, including our Form 10-K and 10-Qs
and our current reports on Form 8-K. We do not undertake to update these
forward-looking statements made by us.
Copyright Business Wire 2013