Chimerix Appoints Michael D. Rogers, Ph.D., as Chief Development Officer

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Chimerix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, oral antivirals in areas of high unmet medical need, announced today that Michael D. Rogers, Ph.D., has joined the company as Chief Development Officer.  Dr. Rogers will be responsible for overseeing chemistry, manufacturing, toxicology and project management as well as the advancement of compounds from the Chimerix Chemical Library.

"We are extremely pleased to have Mike join our management team," said Kenneth I. Moch, Chimerix President and Chief Executive Officer.  "His proven track record and extensive experience designing and leading successful antiviral development programs will be of significant benefit as we advance our lead compound, CMX001, into Phase 3 clinical testing."

Dr. Rogers was formerly Chief Development Officer at Pharmasset, Inc., a company which pioneered the use of nucleotide analogs for the treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV), until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in January 2012.  During his five years at Pharmasset, Dr. Rogers was responsible for development, regulatory and portfolio management activities.

Prior to joining Pharmasset, Dr. Rogers held several positions in antiviral discovery and development at GlaxoSmithKline, including serving as Vice President, Division of Viral Diseases, where he was responsible for antiviral discovery activities directed toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV indications.  In addition, he has led numerous anti-infective projects that resulted in successful commercialization.  During his career, he has led multinational development teams from discovery to marketing and has a successful product development record, including Lexiva(R) and the approvals for Agenerase(R), Mepron(R) and Malarone(R).

Dr. Rogers earned his Master of Public Health and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a postdoctoral fellow in Clinical Microbiology at St. Jude Children's Hospital.

About Chimerix and CMX001
Chimerix is committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, oral antiviral therapeutics designed to transform patient care in areas of high unmet medical need.  The Company's proprietary lipid technology has given rise to two clinical-stage lipid acyclic nucleoside phosphonates, CMX001 and CMX157, which have demonstrated the potential for enhanced activity and safety in convenient, orally administered dosing regimens.

Chimerix's lead product candidate, CMX001, is a broad spectrum, oral nucleotide analog lipid-conjugate that blocks replication of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (AdV), BK virus and herpes simplex virus.  CMX001 has completed Phase 2 clinical development for the prevention of CMV in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.  Chimerix is also conducting a Phase 2 study in HSCT recipients which is evaluating CMX001 as a preemptive therapy for AdV disease, an often-fatal infection which has no approved therapies.  Since 2009, Chimerix has made CMX001 available under expanded access regulations to over 80 transplant centers worldwide for the treatment of over 430 patients with life-threatening dsDNA viral infections.  Chimerix anticipates initiating SUPPRESS, its Phase 3 study of CMX001 for the prevention of CMV infection in adults undergoing HSCT, in 2013.   

Chimerix is also developing CMX001 as a potential medical countermeasure against smallpox under a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). 

Chimerix's second product candidate, CMX157, an oral nucleotide analog lipid-conjugate in Phase 1 development for the treatment of HIV infection, was licensed to Merck in July 2012.  

SOURCE Chimerix, Inc.

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