Lakewood-Amedex Names Douglas Manion, M.D., FRCP (C), as Chairman of the Board of Directors

Kelvin Cooper, Ph.D., C.Chem., FRSC, Elevated to Chief Executive Officer Peter Ceccacci Promoted to Chief Financial Officer

SARASOTA, Fla., Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lakewood-Amedex Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical discovery and development company advancing a broad portfolio of first-in-class antimicrobial and antifungal therapeutics called the Bisphosphocin® class, today announced that Douglas Manion, M.D., FRCP (C), who has served as a board director since 2021, was named Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Manion is currently the Chief Executive Officer, and Director, Flare Therapeutics.

Additionally, Lakewood-Amedex announced leadership changes in the organization, elevating Kelvin Cooper, Ph.D., C.Chem., FRSC, to Chief Executive Officer, and promoting Peter Ceccacci to Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Cooper previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development for the Company, while Mr. Ceccacci previously held the position of Chief Accounting Officer and VP, Administration. Dr. Cooper now reports to Dr. Manion, and Mr. Ceccacci now reports to Dr. Cooper. Dr. Thomas Balzer will continue as the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Clinical Development.

Dr. Manion stated: "As Chairman, I look forward to working with our leadership team to advance our portfolio of the first-in-class Bisphosphocin® molecules that are designed to address the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance in indications with tremendous worldwide clinical needs. We are fortunate to have Dr. Cooper and Mr. Ceccacci lead Lakewood-Amedex, and their appointments reflect the level of accomplishment that they have brought to the company during their tenure. We look forward to their continued contributions as we work to advance our Research and Clinical Development programs."

Previously, Dr. Manion served as Chief Executive Officer of Aclaris Therapeutics and before that Executive Vice President of Research and Development for Arena Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded company focused on immunotherapeutic and cardiovascular disease. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President and Head of Specialty Development, and Head of Japan and China R&D at Bristol Myers-Squibb. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and completed his Fellowship in Infectious Diseases in Ottawa, Canada and a clinical and bench research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Cooper is a pharmaceutical scientist and executive with more than 45 years of experience in all aspects of drug discovery and development across several therapeutic areas including infectious disease, cancer, respiratory, immunology, and inflammation. Before joining Lakewood-Amedex, Dr. Cooper served several roles at Pfizer, including Senior Vice President for Portfolio Development in its Established Pharmaceutical Sciences Business Unit; Senior Vice President of Worldwide Pharmaceutical Sciences with responsibility for both small molecules and biologics in the areas of drug substance, drug product, and device development; Executive Director of drug development for cancer, respiratory, allergy, immunology, and infectious disease; and Director of Drug Discovery in those same therapeutic areas. Dr. Cooper earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham and is a past recipient of the Captain Black Award for Science. He has also authored 49 publications and holds 34 patents.

Mr. Ceccacci is a seasoned financial executive with more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles across various industries, including healthcare, technology, and public accounting. With a background as an equity partner in public accounting firms and as a top finance executive, Mr. Ceccacci possesses a robust skill set encompassing strategic planning, financial analysis, budgeting, and tax compliance. In previous roles, including Chief Financial Officer at Genius Central Systems Inc. and as a partner at accounting firms such as EisnerAmper and RD Hunter and Company LLP, Mr. Ceccacci has consistently delivered results by restructuring financial systems, performing and managing audits and providing strategic financial guidance. Mr. Ceccacci holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Susquehanna University and was a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Florida and New Jersey.

About Lakewood-Amedex, Inc.
Lakewood-Amedex is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a broad portfolio of first-in-class antimicrobial and antifungal therapeutics called the Bisphosphocin® class. The company's products and technology are covered by an extensive patent portfolio consisting of granted and/or issued patents and pending patent applications covering many major pharmaceutical indications. The company's lead therapeutic candidates are novel synthetic broad- spectrum antimicrobials proven to be effective in killing a wide range of Gram-positive, Gram- negative, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria and all fungal strains tested. Nu-3 has already completed an exploratory Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with infected diabetic foot ulcers and a larger Phase 2 program is being initiated. For more information, https://lakewoodamedex.com

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SOURCE Lakewood-Amedex Inc.