BURNABY, British Columbia, April 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:XENE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Dr. Raymond J. Winquist has been named as its Head, Translational Research, effective immediately. Reporting to the CEO, Dr. Winquist will be responsible for the identification and selection of drug discovery and development programs and will support biology and pharmacology efforts at Xenon through preclinical development.

Dr. Simon Pimstone, Xenon’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Ray to our team. The creation of this important role focused on translational research reinforces our commitment to expand our drug discovery and development pipeline. With his extensive experience and strong leadership skills, I expect that Ray will contribute significantly to the strategic oversight of our product portfolio as we continue to pursue multiple therapeutic and commercial opportunities.”

Prior to joining Xenon, Dr. Winquist served from 2012 to 2015 as Co-Site Head for Research and Vice President of Integrated Biology at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. where he was jointly responsible for the entire Boston research organization and for delivery of lead optimization projects into preclinical development. Previously at Vertex, Dr. Winquist was Vice President, Integrated Biology from 2010 to 2012, and Vice President of Pharmacology from 2005 to 2010. Prior to this, Dr. Winquist was Vice President of Pharmacology at Scion Pharmaceuticals from 2003 to 2005, and Director of Pharmacology at Boeringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals from 1988 to 2003. Dr. Winquist obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his NIH postdoctoral fellowship in the department of Physiology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Winquist received his Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California Santa Barbara and earned his Master's degree from the school's department of Physics.

About Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Xenon is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a pipeline of differentiated therapeutics for orphan indications that it intends to commercialize on its own and for larger market indications that the company intends to partner with global pharmaceutical companies. Xenon has built a core enabling discovery platform, referred to as Extreme Genetics®, for the discovery of validated drug targets by studying rare human diseases with extreme traits, including diseases caused by mutations in ion channels, known as channelopathies. Xenon's Extreme Genetics® platform has yielded the first approved gene therapy product in the European Union and a broad development pipeline and multiple pharmaceutical partnerships, including with Teva and Genentech. For more information, please visit www.xenon-pharma.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical fact, and include statements regarding our management and their contributions and our prospects, the growth of our research and development organization and product candidate pipeline and the progress and potential of our pipeline and ongoing development programs. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, events or developments to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, include, but are not limited to: clinical trials may not demonstrate safety and efficacy of any of our or our collaborators' product candidates; our Extreme Genetics® discovery platform or ongoing collaborations may not yield additional product candidates; any of our or our collaborators' product candidates may fail in development, may not receive required regulatory approvals, or may be delayed to a point where they are not commercially viable; we may not achieve additional milestones pursuant to our collaboration agreements; the impact of competition; adverse conditions in the general domestic and global economic markets; as well as the other risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

“Xenon,” the Xenon logo, and “Extreme Genetics” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in various jurisdictions.

Investor/Media Contact:
Jodi Regts
Senior Director, Corporate Affairs
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Phone: 604.484.3353
Email: investors@xenon-pharma.com