Cocrystal Appoints Gary Wilcox as Interim Chief Executive Officer
BOTHELL, WA and ATLANTA, GA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/22/16 -- Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: COCP), a company focused on developing novel antiviral therapeutics for human diseases, announced today that Dr. Gary Wilcox will assume the role of interim Chief Executive Officer effective July 22, 2016. Dr. Wilcox previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Cocrystal from 2008 to 2015. Mr. Jeffrey Meckler stepped down as Chief Executive Officer and from the Board to pursue other interests. Dr. Wilcox will continue to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. In addition, Dr. Douglas Mayers, the Chief Medical Officer at Cocrystal, submitted his resignation effective immediately. Dr. Luz Pascual, Vice President Clinical Development, shall continue to oversee the ongoing clinical programs.
On behalf of Cocrystal Pharma's board, Chairman Professor Raymond F. Schinazi said, "I want to thank Jeffrey and Doug for leading the efforts to transform Cocrystal from a discovery to a clinical development company. Dr. Gary Wilcox is a veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with decades of research and development expertise. As Vice Chair of the company he is familiar with all aspects of ongoing operations."
Dr. Wilcox said, "I am honored to be part of a highly committed leadership team and honored to continue working closely with our distinguished board of directors and scientific founders to advance Cocrystal's antiviral portfolio."
Dr. Wilcox has over 35 years of experience in biotech companies including 14 years at Icos Corporation where he played a key role in the development of Cialis as the Executive Vice President of Operations and a member of the board of directors. Prior to that, he served as Vice Chairman, Executive Vice President and a Director of Xoma Corporation. Prior to Xoma, Dr. Wilcox co-founded Ingene Inc. serving as its Chairman, President and CEO prior to the merger of Ingene into Xoma. Dr. Wilcox was a Professor of Microbiology and a member of the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA for 10 years. He has served on 15 boards of directors including NASDAQ, New York and London stock exchange companies, as well as private technology companies.
About Cocrystal Pharma
Cocrystal is a clinical stage biotechnology company seeking to discover novel antiviral therapeutics as treatments for serious and/or chronic viral diseases. Cocrystal employs unique technologies and Nobel Prize winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. These technologies, including our nucleoside chemistry expertise and market-focused approach to drug discovery are designed to efficiently deliver small molecule therapeutics that are safe, effective and convenient to administer. The company has identified promising, preclinical and clinical stage antiviral compounds for several unmet medical needs, including hepatitis, influenza and norovirus infections. Cocrystal has previously received strategic investments from Teva Pharmaceuticals, OPKO Health, Brace Pharmaceutical, LLC, and The Frost Group. For further information about Cocrystal, please refer to www.cocrystalpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Cocrystal, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management including statements regarding development plans for antiviral drugs. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause or clinical development programs, performance or future results to differ significantly from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company in general, see filings Cocrystal has made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source: Cocrystal Pharma, Inc.
Released July 22, 2016