MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alexza
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXA) announced today that Carlos A. Parra has
joined the company as Vice President, Quality. He will have responsibilities
in the development and execution of quality program strategies for Alexza's
manufacturing operations and preclinical / clinical product candidates. Mr.
Parra was most recently Vice President, Operations and Quality at Telik, Inc.
in Palo Alto, California, where he was employed since June 2002 and was
responsible for all aspects of GxP pharmaceutical development and quality
operations, including manufacturing development and GCP compliance.
Prior to his tenure at Telik, Mr. Parra was a Principal Partner at West
Coast Associates from January 1996 to June 2002. Before founding West Coast
Associates, his quality experience spanned 20 years with both small and large
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Mr. Parra holds a Bachelor's of
Science in Microbiology with a minor in Engineering from the University of
Texas at El Paso.
"We are very pleased to welcome Carlos to Alexza to lead our Quality
Departments and as a member of our Management Team," said Thomas B. King,
Alexza President and CEO. "The continued rapid growth of our clinical and
preclinical programs at Alexza requires us to add integrated GLP and GCP
quality systems and procedures to our existing GMP program. Carlos brings a
wealth of U.S. and international quality expertise to Alexza, and we look
forward to his contributions to our future development."
About Alexza Pharmaceuticals
Alexza Pharmaceuticals is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company
focused on the development and commercialization of novel, proprietary
products for the treatment of acute and intermittent conditions. The
Company's technology, the Staccato(R) system, vaporizes unformulated drug to
form a condensation aerosol that allows rapid systemic drug delivery through
deep lung inhalation. The drug is quickly absorbed through the lungs into the
bloodstream, providing speed of therapeutic onset that is comparable to
intravenous administration, but with greater ease, patient comfort and
convenience.
Alexza has six product candidates in clinical development. Alexza's lead
program, AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine) for the treatment of acute agitation in
schizophrenic or bipolar disorder patients, is in Phase 3 testing. AZ-001
(Staccato prochlorperazine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches has
completed Phase 2 testing. AZ-104 (Staccato loxapine) for the acute treatment
of migraine headaches and AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) for the acute treatment
of panic attacks associated with panic disorder are in Phase 2 testing.
Product candidates in Phase 1 testing include AZ-003 (Staccato fentanyl) for
the treatment of breakthrough pain, which is partnered with Endo
Pharmaceuticals in North America, and AZ-007 (Staccato zaleplon) for the
treatment of insomnia. More information, including this and past press
releases from Alexza is available online at http://www.alexza.com.
SOURCE Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
