Medinox Appoints Joseph A. Truglia, M.D. as Senior Vice President of Medical and Regulatory Affairs
San Diego, California (June 15, 2001) Medinox, Inc. announced today that Joseph A. Truglia, M.D., has been appointed to the position of Senior Vice President of Medical and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Medical Officer. In this position, Dr. Truglia will be responsible for Medinox’s regulatory filings and interactions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and for overseeing the company’s clinical trials.
The appointment of Dr. Truglia comes at an opportune time for Medinox, with the rapid advancement of the company’s multiple clinical development programs occurring over the next few years.
Dr. Truglia has over 15 years of experience as a pharmaceutical industry researcher, manager, and executive and over 17 years experience in clinical research and medical affairs.
Before coming to Medinox, Dr. Truglia was a pharmaceutical research and development consultant, specializing in clinical research, medical affairs, medical safety and regulatory affairs. Previously, Dr. Truglia worked for Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a successful San Diego, California-based pharmaceutical company. During his seven years at that company, Dr. Truglia held various positions of increasing responsibility and served most recently as Vice President, Clinical Research, Vice President of Medical Research and Medical Affairs and Medical Safety Officer for Ligand’s worldwide medical research trials.
Dr. Truglia was also the Senior Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs at Astra-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals where he was a director for metabolism/endocrine, infectious diseases, and cardio-renal research therapeutic areas. Dr. Truglia has been responsible for multiple successful INDs, NDAs, and MAAs and has brought seven products to market.
Dr. Truglia holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in biochemistry from Columbia University, and a M.D. degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical College. Dr. Truglia is Board Certified in General Medicine, Internal Medicine and Endocrinology and Metabolism and is a licensed physician in several states.
“We are pleased to have Joe on board to transition the company to the next level in the commercialization of our pharmaceutical technology,” commented Monte Lai, Medinox’s President & CEO. “Joe’s experience will be invaluable in developing a clinical research group that will manage Medinox’s on-going and future clinical trials.”
About Medinox, Inc.
Medinox, Inc. is a privately-held, San Diego-based emerging pharmaceutical company that is developing novel small molecule anti-inflammatory therapeutics of large revenue potential and major scope. The company is presently focused on developing novel therapeutics from three core anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical technologies: Nitric oxide blockers, NSAID prodrugs, and MX-1520, a new therapeutic for sickle cell anemia.
NOX-100 is Medinox’s injectable nitric oxide blocker for critical care applications such as intradialytic hypotension, septic shock, and cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Medinox completed Phase I/IIa trials for NOX-100 in intradialytic hypotension, the most frequent complication of routine hemodialysis. During the second quarter of 2001, we began a multicenter Phase I/IIa study of the drug in the sepsis indication at Stanford University and at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. NOX-700 is Medinox’s orally-active NO-blocker for chronic inflammatory diseases, and is under development for treatment of the effects of excessive nitric oxide in diabetes. Medinox expects NOX-700 to enter clinical development in 2002.
Medinox’s NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) prodrugs are new chemical entities that are based on clinically proven NSAIDs, but with substantially improved GI safety profiles compared to their parent NSAIDs. In 2001, Medinox plans to start a Phase I clinical trial for MX-1094, a naproxen prodrug.
Medinox’s scientists have identified a molecule, MX-1520, that favorably alters the oxygen carrying properties of the mutant sickle cell hemoglobin, HbS. MX-1520 is being developed as a new, orally active prophylactic therapy for the prevention of vaso-occlusive episodes that characterize sickle cell anemia.
For information on Medinox, please visit the company’s website at www.medinox.com.