Dr. Manuel Worcel Appointed CEO and President of Cardiokine

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiokine, Inc., a privately held
specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs for the
treatment of heart failure and related indications, today announced that Dr.
Manuel Worcel has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. He
also will serve as a Director of the company.
"Dr. Worcel brings an impressive history of industry experience and
accomplishment to Cardiokine, and we are fortunate to have recruited him as
the company's chief executive," said James H. Cavanaugh, Ph.D., Chairman of
Cardiokine's Board of Directors. "Dr. Worcel's cardiovascular expertise should
be invaluable in helping to maximize the potential for success of the Phase
III clinical program for lixivaptan, Cardiokine's lead compound being
developed in partnership with Biogen Idec."
Dr. Worcel joins Cardiokine from NitroMed, which he founded in 1993 and
where he served in the roles of Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief
Medical Officer. Previously, he was Head of Cardiovascular Research and
Development at Ciba Geigy (now Novartis) and Head of Research and Development
at Roussel Hoechst (now Sanofi Aventis).
Dr. Worcel commented, "Cardiokine's lead drug candidate lixivaptan has a
unique mechanism of action with the potential to address a serious unmet
medical need affecting millions of patients worldwide, and I am delighted to
join the company at this exciting time as we advance our Phase III clinical
program with our partner Biogen Idec. "
Prior to joining industry, Dr. Worcel was a professor at the Institut de
la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in France. A Fellow of the Hypertension
Council of the American Heart Association, Dr. Worcel received an M.D. degree
from the University of Buenos Aires.
About Cardiokine
Cardiokine, headquartered in Philadelphia, is a privately held specialty
pharmaceutical company focused on the development of pharmaceuticals for the
treatment and prevention of heart failure and related cardiovascular and
metabolic indications. Its lead compound lixivaptan, an oral, selective V2
vasopressin receptor antagonist in Phase III clinical trials, causes water to
be excreted from the kidney with minimal impact on sodium or other
electrolytes. Based on this unique mechanism of action, lixivaptan has shown
promise in the treatment of disease states associated with water retention and
electrolyte imbalance, such as congestive heart failure. Additional
information about Cardiokine is available at www.cardiokine.com.
Contacts:
Corporate: Media:
Federica O'Brien, Chief Financial Officer Barbara Lindheim
Cardiokine, Inc. GendeLLindheim BioCom Partners
(215) 399-1200 (212) 918-4650

SOURCE Cardiokine, Inc.

Corporate, Federica O'Brien, Chief Financial Officer of Cardiokine, Inc.,
+1-215-399-1200; or Barbara Lindheim of GendeLLindheim BioCom Partners,
+1-212-918-4650