Chimerix Appoints Michelle Berrey Chief Medical Officer

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chimerix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, announced today that Michelle Berrey, MD, MPH, has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer.

"We are delighted to have Michelle join our leadership team. Dr. Berrey is a seasoned drug developer who has established a strong track record in antivirals, in particular with nucleotide analogs.  She joins Chimerix at an important time for the company as our lead compound, CMX001, advances into Phase 3 clinical testing," said Kenneth I. Moch, Chimerix President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Her extensive background in antiviral drug development will be invaluable to our already strong team."

Prior to joining Chimerix, Dr. Berrey was Chief Medical Officer at Pharmasset, Inc., a company that focused on the development of nucleotide analogs for the treatment of hepatitis C, from 1997 until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in January 2012.  Dr. Berrey's experience includes the design, early development, medical governance, clinical strategy and product life cycle management of antiviral products.

Previously, Dr. Berrey was Vice President, Viral Diseases, Clinical Pharmacology & Discovery Medicine at GlaxoSmithKline, where she was responsible for the early development of compounds for the treatment of HIV, hepatitis viruses and hepatic fibrosis.

Dr. Berrey received her M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia and a Master of Public Health from Emory University.  She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and was a Senior Fellow in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington, Seattle, where she conducted research in HIV transmission and acute HIV infection.

About Chimerix
Chimerix is developing novel oral antiviral therapeutics with the potential to improve outcomes for patients in multiple therapeutic areas, including transplant, oncology, acute care and global health.  The Company's proprietary lipid technology has given rise to two clinical-stage lipid acyclic nucleoside phosphonates that have demonstrated the potential for enhanced activity and safety compared with currently approved drugs. 

Chimerix's lead clinical-stage drug candidate, CMX001, is a novel, broad-spectrum, oral antiviral that inhibits 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 prophylaxis of CMV in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients and is in Phase 2 development for the preemption and treatment of AdV infection.  To date, more than 800 patients have been dosed with CMX001 in controlled clinical trials and open-label treatment protocols.  Chimerix has completed an End of Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is preparing to initiate Phase 3 clinical development of CMX001 for the prophylaxis of CMV in HSCT recipients in 2013.   

In addition to its commercial use, CMX001 is being developed under a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) as a medical countermeasure to protect against a bioterror threat in the event of a smallpox release. 

In July 2012, Chimerix granted an exclusive worldwide license to Merck for the development and commercialization of its second clinical-stage drug candidate, CMX157, for the treatment of HIV infection, further validating the Company's propriety lipid technology. 

For more information, please visit www.chimerix.com.

SOURCE Chimerix, Inc.

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