Argenta strenthens senior management team

Respiratory drug development and contract drug discovery company strengthens management team with the appointment of John Montana as chief scientific officer and Chris Moyses as chief medical officer

Both John Montana and Chris Moyses will be members of the Argenta Discovery board.

The appointments anticipate the start of clinical trials with Argenta's promising portfolio of respiratory therapies in 2007.

"We are delighted to announce these important appointments at a pivotal time in Argenta's evolution" commented Chris Ashton, Argenta Discovery CEO.

Argenta's preclinical portfolio comprises six proprietary programmes to address chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

Montana and Moyses will work alongside Mary Fitzgerald, executive vice president respiratory, and Harry Finch, executive vice president therapeutics, to drive these programmes into the clinic during 2007 and support their effective development thereafter.

"Their extensive, directly relevant experience and broad, international industry/academic networks will be invaluable to Argenta as we establish an innovative clinical portfolio and broker appropriate partnership deals.

"Their expertise will also make a significant contribution to the ongoing success of our robust drug discovery services business".

Montana is a seasoned pharmaceutical industry executive with over 20 years experience.

He joins Argenta from the drug discovery company Paradigm Therapeutics, where he became chief scientific officer in January 2005 when the company acquired Amedis.

In this capacity he played a key role in the successful integration of the two companies and the rationalization of the combined research portfolio.

Prior to that he spent three years as chief executive officer of Amedis, spearheading its growth and development into a successful medicinal chemistry-based drug discovery organisation.

As director of drug discovery at Chiroscience, Montana was instrumental in establishing a research strategy that delivered six development compounds in the same number of years.

He also played a major role in brokering and managing a series of collaborations with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Following the Chiroscience/Celltech merger he became director of NCE Research, taking responsibility for the company's small molecule research pipeline.

Before joining Argenta, Chris Moyses was research and development director and executive director at Pharmagene, having previously been chief medical officer and development director at Oxford GlycoSciences (OGS).

In the latter capacity he established the development function and built the team that took the Gaucher disease therapy Zavesca from first dose in patients through to US FDA and European approvals.

He was closely involved in the London Stock Exchange floatation of OGS and a member of the roadshow team that raised £170 million in a secondary offering.

Moyses is a physician and worked in the National Health Service for seven years before joining the pharmaceutical industry in 1986, initially with GD Searle and then with ICI Pharmaceuticals and Amylin.

He is also non-executive chairman of Senexis .

Argenta also announces that Paul Clewlow has been recruited as senior vice president business development.

In this capacity he will be responsible for the growth and development of Argenta's leading drug discovery services business.

Clewlow joins Argenta from Pharmaceutical Profiles where he was business development director.

Prior to this he worked for Medeval, the Phase I/IIa clinical research organisation, Ultrafine Chemicals and Exxon Chemical.

A chemist by training, Clewlow gained ten years academic experience in the USA, Switzerland and the UK, before entering industry.

Aston said: "We are particularly pleased to attract Paul to Argenta at a time when the company is poised for accelerated growth.

"He has a strong track record in business development.

"His technical background and extensive network of contacts will prove important assets as we drive the business forward".

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