Exhibit 99.1
CONTACT: Anne Bugge, EVC Group, (206) 926-5220
SONUS PHARMACEUTICALS APPOINTS ALAN FUHRMAN AS CFO
BOTHELL, WA (September 15, 2004) – Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNUS),
an oncology drug development company, today announced that it has appointed
Alan Fuhrman as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Fuhrman brings to Sonus over 20 years of successful executive management
experience with public and private companies in the life sciences and high
technology industries. He joins Sonus from Integrex, Inc., a contract
manufacturing services company, where he served as President and Chief
Operating Officer from 2002 until its acquisition by a public competitor
earlier this year.
“Alan’s broad background in operations, financial management and the capital
markets complements the skills of our management team, and we are pleased to
have an executive of his caliber join us,” said Michael A. Martino, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Sonus Pharmaceuticals. “His proven business and
financial acumen will play a key role as we enter pivotal Phase 3 clinical
trials for our lead product candidate, TOCOSOL® Paclitaxel, and develop plans
for its commercialization, as well as seek to broaden our oncology development
pipeline.”
Prior to Integrex, Mr. Fuhrman served as Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer at Capital Stream, Inc., a startup financial services
workflow automation company. Mr. Fuhrman also held Chief Financial Officer
positions at Medisystems Corporation, an international medical device
manufacturer, and NeoPath, Inc., a publicly held medical device company. He
received B.S. degrees in both Accounting and Agricultural Economics from
Montana State University.
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About Sonus Pharmaceuticals
Headquartered near Seattle, Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is focused on the
development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer that offer improved
administration, tolerability, safety and effectiveness. The Company continues
to advance the clinical and regulatory development of TOCOSOL Paclitaxel and is
in the process of finalizing Phase 3 clinical testing plans for review by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. With the promising clinical results to
date, Sonus believes that TOCOSOL Paclitaxel may potentially offer a safer and
more effective alternative paclitaxel therapy for cancer patients that is
better tolerated and easier-to-use. In addition to executing the plans for
TOCOSOL Paclitaxel, the Company remains focused on driving product and
corporate development activities towards building and expanding its pipeline of
oncology product candidates. For additional information, including news
releases, please visit the Company’s web site at www.sonuspharma.com.
Safe Harbor
Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking such as
those, among others, relating to the development, safety and efficacy of drug
delivery products and potential applications for these products. As discussed
in Sonus Pharmaceuticals’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 12, 2004 and Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q filed August 16, 2004, actual results could differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result
of the following factors, among others: the Company’s products will require
extensive clinical testing and approval by regulatory authorities; such
approvals are lengthy and expensive and may never occur; risks that clinical
studies with TOCOSOL Paclitaxel will not be successful; and risks of successful
development of additional drug delivery products.
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