Access Pharmaceuticals Appoints Sales and Marketing Executive
December 15 2009 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
CRITICAL STEP TOWARD U.S. MARKETING LAUNCH OF MUGARD DALLAS, Dec.
15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(OTC:ACCP) (BULLETIN BOARD: ACCP) , today announced the appointment
of Frank Jacobucci to the position of Vice President, Sales and
Marketing. Mr. Jacobucci will be primarily responsible for the
Company's marketing launch of MuGard, an FDA approved treatment for
oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect of radiation treatment
and chemotherapy. Mr. Jacobucci has over 20 years experience in
sales management, including senior sales executive positions at
oncology focused companies including MGI Pharma, Genetics
Institute, Wyeth Oncology, Aventis, Precision Therapeutics and CRC
Oncology Services. Mr. Jacobucci has significant experience
launching pharmaceutical products, with a particular expertise in
oral mucositis and related oncology supportive care therapies and
also has developed significant experience with MuGard. "Our
manufacturing is well underway as we fully expect to launch MuGard
in North America during the 1st Qtr of 2010. We are currently
executing on numerous strategies including the implementation of a
dedicated sales force and marketing strategies, the clinical
advancement program for MuGard involving some of the foremost
thought leaders in the oral mucositis arena as well as the
advancement of the other uniquely differentiated products within
our robust pipeline. I am excited to be part of the Access team and
look forward to bringing MuGard to the hundreds of thousands of
patients who may otherwise suffer from the debilitating side effect
of oral mucositis," stated Frank Jacobucci. "We are delighted to
bring Frank into the management team as we feel he has the
experience and capability to lead commercialization of MuGard both
in the United States and internationally. We believe working with
Frank will help us to maximize the commercial potential of MuGard
by efficiently and effectively penetrating the oncology supportive
care market," stated Jeffrey B. Davis, President & CEO of
Access. MuGard is a novel, ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound
rinse for the management of oral mucositis, a debilitating side
effect of many anticancer treatments. Up to 80% of all patients
receiving radiotherapy and approximately 40% of all chemotherapy
patients develop oral mucositis, and almost all patients receiving
radiotherapy for head and neck cancer and those undergoing stem
cell transplantation develop mucositis. The market for the
treatment of oral mucositis, expanding to include all patients
undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, is estimated to be in
excess of $5 billion world-wide. MuGard forms a protective coating
over the oral mucosa when swirled gently around the mouth. In a
comparison of cancer patients receiving standard mucositis care
with those patients receiving MuGard, the incidence and severity of
mucositis was significantly lower in the MuGard treated group using
a validated scale for the assessment of oral mucositis. MuGard is
commercially launched by Access' partner, SpePharm, in six European
countries, having been granted the CE mark certification in October
2008 with the labeling "prevention and management of the lesions
and symptoms of oral mucositis." SpePharm is currently gathering
feedback from clinicians in the UK, Germany and Italy that are
participating in a patient assessment project. SpePharm expects
that out of a total of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 patients who
will be assessed in this project, a subset of patient forms will be
collected by year end, and aggregated clinician and patient
feedback will continue to be available on a rolling basis during
the fourth quarter 2009 and 2010. Introduction of MuGard into
France, Central and Eastern Europe, the Benelux countries and the
rest of Europe is anticipated over the next 12 to 18 months. About
Access: Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging
biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes
propriety products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer
patients. Access' products include ProLindac(TM), currently in
Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian cancer, and
MuGard(TM) for the management of patients with mucositis. The
company also has other advanced drug delivery technologies
including Cobalamin(TM)-mediated targeted delivery and oral drug
delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on
the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism and Thiarabine, a new
generation nucleoside analog which has demonstrated both
pre-clinical and clinical activity in certain cancers. For
additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our
website at http://www.accesspharma.com/. This press release
contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the
meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include
those relating to: clinical trial plans and timelines and clinical
results for ProLindac, our ability to execute licensing agreements
in the future, Access' plans to continue and initiate clinical
trials, the value of its products in the market (including MuGard
and the size of the overall market for mucositis products), its
ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and its ability
to successfully develop marketed products. These statements are
subject to numerous risks, including but not limited Access' need
to obtain additional financing in order to continue the clinical
trial and operations and to the risks detailed in Access' Annual
Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by Access with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact: Company Contact:
Investor Relations ---------------- ---------------------------
Stephen B. Thompson Donald C. Weinberger/Diana Bittner (media) Vice
President, Chief Wolfe Axelrod Weinberger Assoc. LLC Financial
Officer (212) 370-4500 Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (214) 905-5100
DATASOURCE: Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Stephen B.
Thompson, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Access
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-214-905-5100 or Investor Relations,
Donald C. Weinberger/Diana Bittner of Wolfe Axelrod Weinberger
Assoc. LLC, +1-212-370-4500, for Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Web
Site: http://www.accesspharma.com/
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