ROCKVILLE, Md., July 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT:RNN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing best-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of Lisa Nolan, Ph.D., to the newly-created position of Chief Business Officer. Dr. Nolan, who held similar positions at Relmada Therapeutics, Topigen Pharmaceuticals and SkyePharma, brings over two decades of experience in corporate strategy, M&A, funding partnerships, and out-licensing and in-licensing of development stage clinical assets.

“We are delighted to have Lisa join our leadership team given her impressive global experience in bioscience-focused corporate development,” said Peter D. Suzdak, Chief Executive Officer. “Lisa’s extensive experience and strong track record completing significant licensing deals will be vitally important as we continue to advance Rexahn’s clinical programs and seek the optimal partnership structure for each of our programs. I very much look forward to Lisa’s contributions and am pleased to welcome her to the Rexahn family.”

“It’s a pleasure to join Rexahn at such an important time in the Company’s evolution,” said Dr. Nolan. “I am excited to work closely with Peter and the leadership team to help Rexahn leverage its corporate development opportunities, and in so doing work to build increased value for shareholders. I look forward to advancing partnership opportunities for Rexahn’s three novel, targeted oncology programs, which are progressing in clinical development.”

Dr. Nolan joins Rexahn from Relmada Therapeutics where she held the position of Chief Business Officer. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of Nolex Advisors, LLC, where she led successful competitive processes for out-licensing of early and late-stage pharmaceutical products. Over the course of her career, Dr. Nolan has held various leadership roles at biopharmaceutical companies including Chief Business Officer at Topigen Pharmaceuticals, where she championed and led the acquisition of Topigen by Pharmaxis. Additionally, she served as Vice President, Global Business Development and Strategic Marketing for SkyePharma Inc., where she completed over a dozen out-licensing deals in the U.S. and Europe with deal values ranging in excess of $500 million. Dr. Nolan holds a Ph.D. in clinical pharmacology and a M.Sc. and B.Sc. in pharmacy from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

About Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE MKT:RNN) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel, best-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s mission is to improve the lives of cancer patients by developing next generation cancer therapies that are designed to maximize efficacy while minimizing the toxicity and side effects traditionally associated with cancer treatment. Rexahn’s product candidates work by targeting and neutralizing specific proteins believed to be involved in the complex biological cascade that leads to cancer cell growth. Pre-clinical studies show that certain of Rexahn’s product candidates may be effective against multiple types of cancer, drug resistant cancers, and difficult-to-treat cancers, and others may augment the effectiveness of current FDA-approved cancer treatments. The Company has a broad oncology pipeline that includes three anti-cancer compounds currently in clinical development: Supinoxin™, RX-3117, and Archexin^®, and a novel nanopolymer-based drug delivery platform technology that may increase the bio-availability of FDA-approved chemotherapies. For more information about the Company and its oncology programs, please visit www.rexahn.com.