WIXOM, Mich., Oct. 5, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockwell Medical (Nasdaq:RMTI), a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company offering innovative products and services targeting end-stage renal disease (ESRD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and iron deficiency anemia, reported today that it has appointed Carl Belczynski, PhD as Vice President of Investor Relations. He will report to Chairman and CEO Rob Chioini.
Mr. Belczynski brings more than 15 years of experience from the capital markets, where he worked as a sell-side analyst, portfolio manager and investment banker. Since 2008 he has served as Vice President, Healthcare Equity Capital Markets at JMP Securities. Prior to that, he was a portfolio manager for medical technology and biotechnology at Millennium Partners and Panacea Asset Management. Previous to that, he worked as a sell-side research analyst in medical technology at Vector Securities International.
"We are excited to have Carl join Rockwell," stated Robert L. Chioini, Chairman, CEO and President of Rockwell Medical. "Carl has extensive experience as a sell-side analyst, portfolio manager and investment banker and will focus on investor relations activities for the Company, as well as assist in business development initiatives relating to our clinical development business."
About Rockwell Medical:
Rockwell Medical is a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company offering innovative products and services initially targeting end-stage renal disease (ESRD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and iron deficiency anemia. An established manufacturer and leader in delivering high-quality hemodialysis concentrates/dialysates to dialysis providers and distributors in the U.S. and abroad, Rockwell provides products that are used to maintain human life by removing toxins and replacing critical nutrients in the dialysis patient's bloodstream. Dialysis is a process that duplicates kidney function for patients who suffer from ESRD. There are approximately 400,000 ESRD patients in the United States, a prevalence growing at an annual rate of 4 percent, and approximately 2 million ESRD patients world-wide.
The Company is currently developing unique, proprietary renal drug therapies for iron treatment. These exclusive renal drug therapies support disease management initiatives to improve the quality of life and care of dialysis patients and are designed to deliver safe and effective therapy, while decreasing drug administration costs and improving patient convenience. Rockwell Medical is developing a pipeline of drug therapies, including extensions of SFP, its investigational, continuous iron therapy designed to treat iron deficiency anemia in ESRD patients. Please visit www.rockwellmed.com for more information.
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About SFP:
SFP is a novel, investigational, continuous iron therapy designed to treat iron deficiency anemia in ESRD patients. SFP is a proprietary, water-soluble form of iron that travels directly to the bloodstream and transfers iron at a cellular level, similar to normal physiologic dietary iron intake. SFP is designed as a continuous replacement treatment delivering small doses of iron during every dialysis session in order to replenish iron lost during the dialysis procedure, thereby maintaining hemoglobin in the target range as per Kidney Disease Quality Outcomes Initiative (KDQOI) recommendations. Clinical trials to date suggest that SFP, delivered during each dialysis treatment via dialysate, maintains optimal iron balance and avoids liver toxicity while decreasing associated drug administration costs. Recent academic studies have shown that more frequent maintenance doses of iron improve the therapeutic response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA), thereby decreasing the ESA doses needed to maintain hemoglobin in the target range. Rockwell Medical has licensed exclusive world-wide rights to manufacture and sell SFP and patents have issued for SFP in multiple countries, including the three largest dialysis markets in the world: the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Based on current market data, the U.S. dialysis market for IV iron is approximately $560 million annually while global market potential is approximately $1 billion.
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan", "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in Rockwell Medical's SEC filings. Thus, actual results could be materially different. Rockwell Medical expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.