Piramal Imaging Welcomes Ana M. Catafau, M.D., Ph.D., as VP, Clinical Research and Development, Neurosciences

BERLIN, BOSTON and MUMBAI, India, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Piramal Imaging SA, a division of Piramal Enterprises, today announced Ana M. Catafau, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the company as vice president (VP) of Clinical Research and Development, Neurosciences.

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Dr. Catafau's appointment comes on the heels of Piramal Imaging's announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have accepted the company's applications for review of the investigational positron emission tomography (PET) amyloid imaging agent [18F] florbetaben.

"Early detection of beta amyloid plaque is important as the build-up is a potential indication that a patient could be at risk for developing dementia, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Catafau. "With the recent submission of florbetaben to the FDA and EMA, I am joining the company at an exciting time. I look forward to working with the Piramal team and to help bring to market an agent that may have the power to safely detect beta amyloid plaques prior to onset of significant cognitive decline."

"The molecular imaging community will benefit from Piramal's strong pipeline and focus on the research and development of new PET tracers. There is a clear need, particularly in the neurosciences, for PET tracers for many targets, and this applies both to clinical practice and pharmaceutical drug development. In my new role, I will work closely with Piramal's enthusiastic and extremely competent team on the advancement of the field of molecular neuroimaging," added Dr. Catafau.

Dr. Catafau brings more than 20 years of experience in neuroimaging research with SPECT and PET both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry. Her tenure includes 16 years with the University Hospitals Clinic and Sant Pau in Barcelona, and eight years at GlaxoSmithKline. Most recently, Dr. Catafau was the President and CEO of Barcelona Imaging Group, S.L. (BIG).

Dr. Catafau is an internationally recognized expert in the field of neuroimaging, having been the Chair of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Neuroimaging Committee, a member of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine Editorial Board and a member of scientific committees of international congresses. Her experience is backed up by her extensive scientific publication records, numerous grants, contracts, and scientific awards won related to her work with brain imaging.

"As we look to commercialize our first product in the field of molecular neuroimaging, it was natural that we create a new leadership position to lead clinical research and development in neurology," said Andrew Stephens, VP of Clinical Research and Development at Piramal Imaging. "Dr. Catafau's wealth of scientific knowledge combined with her clinical and strong leadership experience makes her the ideal for this role."

About Piramal Imaging SA

Piramal Imaging SA, a division of Piramal Enterprises, Ltd., was formed in 2012 with the acquisition of the molecular imaging research and development portfolio of Bayer Pharma AG. By developing novel PET tracers for molecular imaging, Piramal Imaging is focusing on a key field of modern medicine. Piramal Imaging strives to be a leader in the Molecular Imaging field by developing innovative products that improve early detection and characterization of chronic and life threatening diseases leading to better therapeutic outcomes and improved quality of life. For more information please go to http://piramalenterprises.com.

About Piramal Enterprises Ltd.

Piramal Enterprises is one of India's largest diversified companies with operations in pharmaceuticals, financial services and information management. Piramal Enterprises generated consolidated revenues of $500 million in the 2012 financial year. In the pharmaceuticals field, Piramal Enterprises is one of the leading custom manufacturing players in the world and operates in the global critical-care segment with a portfolio of inhalation and injectable anesthetics. Its OTC business is ranked number 7 in India. PEL is also involved in drug discovery & research and has strong pipeline of development products. In the financial services field, PEL has a real-estate-focused PE fund called Indiareit, and an NBFC that focuses on lending to the real-estate and education sector. Recently, PEL also entered the global information-management industry by acquiring the US-based company Decision Resources Group. PEL acquired the global rights to a molecular-imaging research and development portfolio from Bayer AG. The portfolio includes the rights to [¹⁸F] florbetaben, a highly specialized molecule used in PET imaging to detect beta-amyloid in the brain, a widely recognized marker for Alzheimer's disease.

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SOURCE Piramal Imaging