Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals Appoints Brian Mullaney, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer

CRANBURY, N.J., Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage, oncology-focused pharmaceutical company and an innovator in the field of cancer metabolism, today announced the hiring of Brian Mullaney, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer responsible for clinical development of Cornerstone's platform technology.

"Brian is a highly credentialed clinician scientist with an outstanding track record in personalized medicine and oncology clinical development," said Howard Jonas, Cornerstone's Chairman.  "As Cornerstone's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mullaney will guide the clinical development of our lead compound, CPI-613, as well as the other promising compounds in our pipeline. Having successfully guided many oncology drugs through clinical trials, Dr. Mullaney will be pivotal in helping us advance a robust R&D pipeline of cutting edge drugs with the potential to considerably improve cancer treatment practices."

Dr. Mullaney's hiring strengthens Cornerstone's drug development and commercialization capabilities, while also continuing the company's recent momentum. On November 10, Cornerstone announced that IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) made a $10 million investment in the company. Cornerstone will be making two presentations of new data at the American Society of Hematology 2016 Annual Meeting.

"Cornerstone's focus on targeting the metabolic pathways in cancer cell proliferation and survival holds tremendous promise, and may revolutionize oncology treatment practices," said Dr. Mullaney. "I am excited to join Cornerstone at such an important time in their development. The company's lead compound, CPI-613, has produced impressive preliminary clinical results in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (T-cell NHL). As we ramp up our commercialization efforts and prepare to advance CPI-613 into Phase II clinical trials, we will continue to move forward with our deep pipeline of innovative compounds that may usher in a new paradigm in anticancer therapy."

Prior to joining Cornerstone, Dr. Mullaney was the Global Head of Clinical Affairs for Oncology Precision Medicine at Novartis. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in precision medicine and clinical development including senior positions at Eli Lilly & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Myriad Genetics.

Executive Management

Dr. Mullaney joins Cornerstone's seasoned executive management team, which includes:

• Chief Scientist -- Robert Shorr, Ph.D., DIC: 40-year track record in drug discovery from concept through approval and market launch. Previously worked at Enzon Pharma, United Therapeutics and SmithKline Beecham. At Enzon, he was responsible for co-development of PEG INTRON A with Schering-Plough.
• President and General Counsel -- David A. Polinsky, Esq.: 20-year track record in corporate formation, financing and corporate development. Served as VP & General Counsel for Square Management Co. and Founder & CEO of TheLaw.com.
• Chief Business Officer -- Sanjeev Luther: 25+ years' experience in healthcare including specialty pharma and bio-pharma in strategy, business development, alliances, commercialization and operations. Previously worked for leading pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Bausch and Lomb, GE Healthcare and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
• Chief Oncologist -- Timothy S. Pardee, M.D., Ph.D.: Associate professor and the Director of Leukemia Translational Research at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Dr. Pardee heads an NCI-funded research program focused on the role of cellular metabolism in cancer cell survival and resistance to therapy as well as novel therapeutics. He has played a lead role in the development of the novel metabolism-targeting agent CPI-613.
• VP, Research -- Paul Bingham, Ph.D.: Molecular biologist and evolutionary biologist; Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University. Dr. Bingham was the co-discoverer of the first Altered Energy Metabolism Directed (AEMD) compounds. He has published numerous papers, peer-reviewed articles, and book chapters on molecular and evolutionary biology. In 2008, Dr. Bingham and his colleague, Dr. Zuzana Zachar, received the Michael Maffetone Award for Cancer Research from the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund.
• Research Director -- Akiva Mintz, M.D., Ph.D.: Physician-scientist with 20 years of experience performing impactful translational cancer research and early-stage drug development. Dr. Mintz has developed anticancer therapies that have resulted in over 100 publications, presentations and patents. He has obtained millions of dollars in federal and foundation grants to support bringing novel, early-stage therapeutics to clinic and has extensive experience in early stage drug development.

About Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage, oncology-focused pharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of therapies that exploit the metabolic differences between normal cells and cancer cells. Cornerstone's primary objective is to develop highly selective and effective agents with minimal toxic effects on normal cells and tissues. Cornerstone's first-in-class clinical lead compound, CPI-613 is being evaluated in multiple Phase I, I/II, and II clinical studies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated CPI-613 an orphan drug for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), pancreatic cancer and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The company's investors include IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT). For more information, visit: www.cornerstonepharma.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or the company's future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" or "continue", the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements should not be regarded as a representation by the company, or any other person, that such forward looking statements will be achieved. The business and operations of the company are subject to substantial risks which increase the uncertainty inherent in forward-looking statements. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of the foregoing, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Contact:  
Jacob Jonas  
Public Relations, Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.   
[email protected]  

Kara Golub  
JFK Communications, Inc.   
609-456-0822     
[email protected]

SOURCE Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cornerstonepharma.com