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Metabolic: Feeding the Need for New Treatments in Obesity

Monday, February 9th
11:00 am - 12:10 pm
East Foyer

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and the few novel therapies currently available to treat the condition produce only modest weight loss. Obesity is also a precursor to several other chronic conditions with high unmet medical need including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 2009 will be  an eventful year with several companies planning to announce  pivotal obesity data. Hear from several leading companies  and clinicians discuss the most promising obesity products that could dramatically expand this therapeutic category.

Moderator

Panelists

Who's Who

Liana Moussatos, PhD; Dr. Moussatos came to Pacific Growth Equities from UBS Global Asset Management where she was director and portfolio manager of the UBS Global Biotech Funds for five years. Previously, Liana was with Bristol-Meyers Squibb where she was a manager in University and Government Licensing, External Science and Technology. Liana has also worked with Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute in the office of Industrial Affairs and the National Cancer Institute in the Office of Technology Development. Liana received her BS in Entomology and her MS in Zoology and Biochemistry from Clemson University, her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Davis and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in cellular and molecular Physiology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Harold Bays, MD, FACE, FACP; Dr. Bays is Medical Director and President of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center (L-MARC), a metabolic clinical research facility that has conducted over 400 phase I-IV clinical trials, including studies of all marketed lipid-altering drug treatments, as well as investigational drugs for obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and other metabolic therapeutic agents. He has authored over 100 publications and presented over 70 abstracts at scientific conferences, is an expert manuscript reviewer for medical journals, and has presented at various scientific meetings, international symposia, and university conferences. Dr. Bays serves as a national and international advisor and consultant for pharmaceutical companies in metabolic drug development.

Wesley W. Day, PhD; Dr. Day has been the Vice President of Clinical Development since November 2005. Prior to joining VIVUS, Dr. Day held a variety of positions with Pfizer, Inc. from 1993 until his departure in October 2005. Most recently, Dr. Day was the Senior Director, Safety Risk Management from September 2003 until his departure. Prior to this position, Dr. Day served as the Senior Associate Director, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs from August 2001 to 2003, Associate Director II, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs from 2000 to 2001, Associate Director I, Clinical Development from 1999 to 2000, Senior Clinical Research Investigator from 1997 to 1998, Senior Research Scientist from 1995 to 1997 and Research Scientist from 1993 to 1994. Dr. Day holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, a B.S. with Highest Honors from the University of Texas at Pan American. Dr. Day is an Adjunct Associate Professor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland at Baltimore where he has held an adjunct appointment since 1995. He has also been an Adjunct Assistant Professor for Temple University.

Dennis Kim, MD, MBA; Dr. Dennis Kim is a board-certified endocrinologist and currently Senior Vice President, Head of Obesity/Metabolic Diseases. Prior to joining Orexigen in September of 2008, he was Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of EnteroMedics. He also held various management positions at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, including Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and program medical lead for development and commercialization of ByettaŽ (exenatide) for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Kim completed his fellowship in Endocrinology/Metabolism at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) focusing on pathophysiology of diabetes and metabolic syndrome and is extensively published in top peer-reviewed medical journals. Dr. Kim also received an MBA degree from UCSD Rady School of Management with emphasis on biotech structure and strategy. Dr. Kim continues to stay active in educating medical students and physicians-in-training, as well as continuing to provide medical care to patients as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSD.

Jack Lief; Mr. Lief is a co-founder of Arena and has served as a director and our President and Chief Executive Officer since April 1997. Mr. Lief has also served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors since October 2007. From 1995 to April 1997, Mr. Lief served as an advisor and consultant to numerous biopharmaceutical organizations. From 1989 to 1994, Mr. Lief served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Secretary of Cephalon, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From 1983 to 1989, Mr. Lief served as Director of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Alpha Therapeutic Corporation, a manufacturer of biological products. Mr. Lief joined Abbott Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, in 1972, where he served until 1983, most recently as the head of International Marketing Research. Mr. Lief serves as a member of the board of directors of Adventrx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a research and development company focused on pharmaceuticals for cancer and infectious disease. Mr. Lief is also an Executive Board Member of BIOCOM, a life science industry association representing more than 550 member companies in Southern California, and was the Chairman of the board of directors of BIOCOM from March 2005 to March 2006. Mr. Lief holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Psychology (Experimental and Neurobiology) from Lehigh University.

Donna Ryan, MD; Dr. Ryan is the Associate Executive Director for Clinical Research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Dr. Ryan is one of the foremost researchers in the area of obesity prevention and treatment and weight management with a particular interest in obesity pharmacotherapy. She has published extensively on the effects of various therapeutic agents on weight loss, health outcomes and the cost effectiveness of using drug therapy in obesity management.