BOONTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2009--Unigene Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB: UGNE http://www.unigene.com)
today announced that it has appointed Zvi Eiref to join the Company's
Board of Directors as an independent director effective January 5, 2009.
Mr. Eiref brings over 30 years of financial management and operating
experience primarily in the consumer packaged goods business. During his
20-year tenure as Chief Financial Officer of Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
Mr. Eiref worked with the executive team to help shape overall corporate
strategy and transform Church & Dwight from a single product company to
a broad-based household, personal care and OTC products company with
sales of over $2 billion a year. Earlier in his career, Mr. Eiref worked
for Chanel, Unilever and Arthur Andersen in the USA and Europe. He
currently also serves on the boards of FGX International Holdings Ltd.
and Physicians Formula Holdings, Inc. Mr. Eiref graduated from Oxford
University, and is an English Chartered Accountant.
"I am very pleased to welcome Zvi to our Board," said Dr. Warren Levy,
President and CEO. "Zvi brings a vast amount of operational and
financial experience to Unigene."
"I am honored to serve on the Board of Unigene," said Mr. Eiref. "The
Company has developed a wealth of technology applicable to the treatment
of two major diseases, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, both of which
are of personal interest to me. I look forward to working closely with
the Company's executive team and other board members on strategies for
commercializing this technology and building a truly profitable
business."
About Unigene
Unigene Laboratories, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on
the oral and nasal delivery of large-market peptide drugs. Due to the
size of the worldwide osteoporosis market, Unigene is targeting its
initial efforts on developing calcitonin and PTH-based therapies.
Fortical(R), Unigene's nasal calcitonin product for the
treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, received FDA approval and was
launched in August 2005. Unigene has licensed the U.S. rights for
Fortical(R) to Upsher-Smith Laboratories, worldwide rights for
its oral PTH technology to GlaxoSmithKline and worldwide rights for its
calcitonin manufacturing technology to Novartis. Unigene's patented oral
delivery technology has successfully delivered, in preclinical and/or
clinical trials, various peptides including calcitonin, PTH and insulin.
Unigene's patented manufacturing technology is designed to
cost-effectively produce peptides in quantities sufficient to support
their worldwide commercialization as oral or nasal therapeutics. For
more information about Unigene, call (973) 265-1100 or visit www.unigene.com.
For information about Fortical, visit www.fortical.com.
Safe Harbor statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements as
defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such
forward-looking statements are based upon Unigene Laboratories, Inc.'s
management's current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and
projections about Unigene's business and industry. Words such as
"anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes,"
"seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "potential,"
"continue," and variations of these words (or negatives of these words)
or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations,
projections, or other characterizations of future events or
circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and
assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results
could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any
forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. These
risks and uncertainties include the risks associated with the effect of
changing economic conditions, trends in the products markets, variations
in Unigene's cash flow, market acceptance risks, technical development
risks and other risk factors detailed in Unigene's Securities and
Exchange Commission filings.
CONTACT: Unigene Laboratories, Inc.
Investor:
The Investor Relations Group
Erika Moran/Dian Griesel, Ph.D., 212-825-3210
or
Media:
Janet Vazquez, 212-825-3210
Source: Unigene Laboratories, Inc.
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