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| [December 12, 2012] |
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Iroko Pharmaceuticals and University of Pennsylvania Launch Multi-Year Young Scientist Scholarship Program
PHILADELPHIA --(Business Wire)--
Iroko
Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical
company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative
therapeutic products, today announced it has funded the creation of a
new science scholarship program at the University of Pennsylvania
(Penn). The newly created Iroko Pharmaceuticals Young Scientist
Scholarship: Planting Possibilities program is a $200,000 education
initiative designed to encourage the study of the sciences among
enrolled University of Pennsylvania students coming from local
Philadelphia public high schools.
"Innovation as a means of addressing unmet medical need is what defines
Iroko as a company, and thus it is important for us to foster a new
generation of young scientists, both men and women, by investing in
programs that will enable appreciation and advancement of the sciences,"
said John Vavricka, President and CEO of Iroko Pharmaceuticals. "We are
pleased to partner with a renowned institution like University of
Pennsylvania to support these bright, future scientists who may hold the
key to stimulating meaningful change and progress in people's lives."
Under the four-year initiative, starting in the fall of 2013, two
$25,000 scholarships will be awarded each year to one male and one
female student. To be considered for the scholarship, students must be
currently enrolled in one of several science programs at Penn including
biology, chemistry, hysics, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering,
chemical and biomolecular engineering, nursing or a pre-medical course
of study. Incoming freshmen interested in life sciences who graduated
from the Philadelphia public high school system are also eligible. As
part of receiving the award, students will be encouraged to pursue
mentoring and community service opportunities at the high school they
attended during the award year.
"We are pleased to partner with Iroko on this important initiative that
will prepare even more young people to excel in the fields of science
and medicine and to think creatively and independently," said Amy
Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania. "We are grateful
to Iroko for their generous investment in a program that will not only
help students from Philadelphia public high schools, but also encourages
them to give back to their local communities as part of their academic
experience."
Since its founding, Iroko has supported education through donations to
local schools, including St. Martin's De Porres School in Philadelphia
which serves students in grades K-8. As part of this commitment, Iroko
is donating laptops to St. Martin's De Porres for use in educational
instruction.
"As a company that was born of a vision to challenge the norm, we have
flourished in Philadelphia's talent-rich life sciences community,
building a robust pipeline of novel pain management candidates in five
short years," said Osagie Imasogie, Iroko Chairman and Senior Managing
Partner of Phoenix IP Ventures. "Our new partnership with Penn is part
of our ongoing commitment to invest in local education, helping to
support and build future community leaders."
About Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Iroko is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and
commercialization of innovative therapeutic products. The company
acquires, develops and maximizes the potential of currently marketed
products on a global basis through focused selling and marketing efforts
and product-life-cycle management activities including development of
new formulations that meet patient needs. In addition to Iroko's
marketed products which are marketed in 48 countries, the company has a
robust pipeline with several late-stage NSAID submicron technology
candidates using the proprietary SoluMatrix™ platform. These submicron
NSAIDs are being developed using iCeutica Pty Ltd SoluMatrix™
technology, licensed to Iroko for exclusive use in NSAIDs. For more
information, visit www.iroko.com.
About Phoenix IP Ventures
A fully-integrated Private Equity and Venture Capital Fund which
specializes in life sciences, principally in the pharmaceutical sector,
the Firm acquires intellectual property protected assets that meet its
criteria for value maximization. Phoenix IP Ventures works in
collaboration with major players in the financial community to scale its
own proprietary investments in transactions identified and managed by
the Firm.

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