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Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, Ph.D., J.D., Joins RXi Pharmaceuticals asVP, Legal Counsel & Chief IP Counsel

^{Published on 2008-11-19 06:43:50 - Market Wire}
 

WORCESTER, Mass.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Nasdaq: RXII), a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today announced that Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, Ph.D., J.D., has joined the company as Vice President, Legal Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel.

Commenting on this recent appointment, Tod Woolf, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of RXi Pharmaceuticals, noted, "We are pleased to welcome Konstantinos to RXi Pharmaceuticals in this key position. He brings a wealth of both small and large company experience as well as a broad scientific and patent law background. Konstantinos will help strengthen our intellectual property position on our increasing pipeline of internally derived RNAi molecules and RNAi delivery technologies while also supporting our general legal needs."

Dr. Andrikopoulos commented, "I am honored and excited to be joining the incredibly talented team at RXi working in the field of RNAi. I look forward to being able to contribute to enhancing and building on RXi's unique position in RNAi therapeutics."

Prior to joining RXi Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Andrikopoulos spent six years at Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Inc. (Shire HGT, formerly known as Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shire Pharmaceuticals, where he most recently served as Senior Patent Counsel. While there, Dr. Andrikopoulos had broad responsibilities, including Shire HGT's extensive patent portfolio encompassing two marketed drug products and a rich pipeline.

Prior to his work at Shire, Dr. Andrikopoulos spent five years with Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C., a Boston firm specializing in intellectual property law, as a technology specialist, patent agent and patent attorney, creating and managing patent estates for a number of biotechnology clients.

Dr. Andrikopoulos received his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the City University of New York (through Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Graduate School of Biological Sciences Program) and his B.Sc. in Biophysics from the University of East London in London, U.K. Dr. Andrikopoulos was an Irvington Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at MGH, Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is the author or co-author of numerous scientific publications and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

About RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation

RXi Pharmaceuticals is a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and potential commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of human diseases. RXi Pharmaceuticals' rxRNA™ compounds are distinct from the siRNA compounds used by many other companies developing RNAi therapeutics and are very active and potent (10-100pM activity in cell culture) based on the company's internal research, in addition to being nuclease resistant and readily manufactured. RXi Pharmaceuticals believes it is well positioned to compete successfully in the RNAi-based therapeutics market with its accomplished scientific advisors, including Dr. Craig Mello, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of RNAi; a management team that is experienced in developing RNAi products; and a strong early intellectual property position in RNAi chemistry and delivery. [ www.rxipharma.com ]

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future expectations, plan and future development of RXi Pharmaceutical Corporation's products and technologies. These forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans and prospects of the development of RXi Pharmaceutical Corporation's products and technologies involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risk that the development of our RNAi-based therapeutics may be delayed or may not proceed as planned and we may not be able to complete development of any RNAi-based product, the risk that the FDA approval process may be delayed for any drugs that we develop, risks related to development and commercialization of products by our competitors, risks related to our ability to control the timing and terms of collaborations with third parties and the possibility that other companies or organizations may assert patent rights that prevent us from developing our products. Actual results may differ materially from those RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation contemplated by these forward-looking statements. RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release.