Former Chief Medical Officer of Celgene to lead development of Vicromax(tm), a novel broad-spectrum anti-viral agent that may treat COVID-19
Westport, CT – March 31, 2020 – BioSig Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSGM) (“BioSig” or the “Company”), a medical technology company commercializing a proprietary biomedical signal processing platform, today announced that it appointed Jerome Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D as Executive Chair of ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a new division within its majority-owned subsidiary NeuroClear Technologies, Inc., which recently acquired the rights to develop a novel pharmaceutical to treat Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Jerome (“Jerry”) Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D brings extensive life sciences experience gained primarily through his career at Celgene, Inc. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Celgene Global Health and Chief Medical Officer of Celgene Corporation, a publicly traded, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company, where he was employed for nearly 20 years, starting in 1997. Celgene Corporation was recently acquired by Bristol Myers-Squibb (NYSE:BMY]. Dr. Zeldis currently serves as a Director of BioSig.
“From the moment we learned that we may have a possible solution to help address this global pandemic, we have been working tirelessly to bring this pharmaceutical to patients,” commented Dr. Zeldis. “I look forward to pursuing development of Vicromax(tm) and contributing my knowledge and expertise to this important initiative.”
From 2016 to recently, Dr. Zeldis served as Chief Medical Officer and President of Clinical Research, Medical Affairs Drug Safety, Quality, and Regulatory at Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. He attended Brown University for an AB, MS, followed by Yale University for an M Phil, MD, PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Dr. Zeldis trained in Internal Medicine at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences and in Gastroenterology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He was Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, Davis, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Cornell Medical School and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Dr. Zeldis is a named inventor on 43 US patents, has published 122 peer reviewed articles and 24 reviews, book chapters and editorials.
In a preliminary internal review, the orally administered, broad-spectrum anti-viral agent Vicromax(tm) demonstrated strong activity against COVID-19 in cell cultures in laboratory testing. In this analysis, Vicromax(tm) was added to a tissue culture assay for SARS-CO-2 coronavirus (the causative agent for COVID-19) and an anti-viral effect was observed, which led to a reduction of over 90% of infectious viruses. The Company intends to pursue development of this agent for the treatment of COVID-19 through FDA-approved clinical trials. The product candidate already completed Phase I and three Phase II clinical trials involving over 134 subjects for indications other than COVID-19, and underwent extensive animal testing and human clinical experience. The Company expects that Vicromax(tm) might be used alone or in a combination with other anti-viral agents or immune modulators.
“We know Dr. Zeldis as an accomplished medical scientist and a talented Board member, and we are honored that he accepted this important role. I have personally worked closely with Jerry for years and highly value his unique talents. As we battle the biggest healthcare crisis in a generation, we need world-class scientific and business leadership to find a solution which would take the pressure off our healthcare resources. BioSig remains fully committed to expanding clinical footprint in electrophysiology, and we look forward to working with Dr. Zeldis and his team in this new capacity,” stated Kenneth L. Londoner, Founder, Chairman and CEO of BioSig Technologies, Inc.
About BioSig Technologies
BioSig Technologies is a medical technology company commercializing a proprietary biomedical signal processing platform designed to improve signal fidelity and uncover the full range of ECG and intra-cardiac signals (www.biosig.com).
The Company’s first product, PURE EP(tm) System is a computerized system intended for acquiring, digitizing, amplifying, filtering, measuring and calculating, displaying, recording and storing of electrocardiographic and intracardiac signals for patients undergoing electrophysiology (EP) procedures in an EP laboratory.
About NeuroClear Technologies
NeuroClear Technologies, a majority-owned BioSig subsidiary, is a medical technology company focused on electroneurogram recordings. The Company aims to address some of the biggest challenges of bioelectronic medicine devices through targeted stimulation and feedback loops for optimal therapy delivery.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. Forward- looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) our inability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own, or in collaboration with third parties; (ii) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iv) loss of one or more key executives or scientists; and (v) difficulties in securing regulatory approval to market our products and product candidates. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that
may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Shareholder contact: Andrew Ballou
BioSig Technologies, Inc.
Vice President, Investor Relations
54 Wilton Road,
2nd floor Westport, CT 06880
aballou@biosigtech.com 203-409-5444, x133
Media contact: High Lantern Group
Drew Holzapfel (US)
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215-515-2353
Mario Ottiglio (International)
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+41 79 538 8624
Source: BioSig Technologies, Inc.