8-K

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): February 1, 2010

ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-32157	84-1318182
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)
6725 Mesa Ridge Road, Suite 100, San Diego, California		92121
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 858-552-0866

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On February 1, 2010, the Board of Directors of ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Company") appointed Brian M. Culley, previously the Company’s chief business officer and a senior vice president, to serve as the Company’s chief executive officer and appointed Patrick L. Keran, previously the Company’s general counsel and vice president, legal, to serve as the Company’s president and chief operating officer. Mr. Keran will continue to serve as the Company’s secretary and principal financial and accounting officer. A copy of the press release announcing these title changes is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.

Mr. Culley, age 38, has served as the Company’s principal executive officer since February 2009 and chief business officer and a senior vice president since January 2007. Mr. Culley served as vice president, business development upon joining the Company in December 2004, and was appointed senior vice president, business development in February 2006. F rom 2002 until 2004, Mr. Culley managed all strategic collaborations and licensing agreements for iTherx, Inc. (formerly, Immusol, Inc.) in San Diego, where his most recent title was director of business development and marketing. From 1999 until 2000, he was a licensing and marketing associate at the University of California, San Diego, department of technology transfer & intellectual property services and from 1996 to 1999, he was a research associate for Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., where he performed drug discovery research. Mr. Culley has over 17 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, including deal structure and negotiation, licensing, due diligence, market and competitive research, and venture funding. He received a B.S. in biology from Boston College, an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an M.B.A. from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell University with an emphasis on private equity and entrepreneurship.

Mr. Keran, age 38, has served as the Company’s principal financial and accounting officer since July 2009, vice president, legal since January 2007, secretary since September 2006 and general counsel since August 2006. From April 2004 to August 2006, Mr. Keran was associate general counsel at Isis Pharmaceuticals, a publicly held drug discovery and development company. From February 2003 to April 2004, Mr. Keran practiced corporate law at the law firm of Heller Ehrman LLP, specializing in public and private financings, licensing arrangements, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters. From September 1999 to February 2003, Mr. Keran practiced law at the law firm of Brobeck Phleger & Harrison LLP where he had a similar corporate practice. Mr. Keran is licensed to practice law in the State of California. Mr. Keran received a B.A. from the University of California at San Diego and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

The list of exhibits called for by this Item is incorporated by reference to the Exhibit Index filed with this report.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
February 4, 2010	By:	/s/ Patrick L. Keran
		Name: Patrick L. Keran
		Title: President & Chief Operating Officer

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release, dated February 4, 2010

EX-99.1

ADVENTRX ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT PROMOTIONS

SAN DIEGO (February 4, 2010) – ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ANX) today announced that, effective immediately, Brian M. Culley, previously the Company’s Chief Business Officer and a Senior Vice President, will serve as its Chief Executive Officer and Patrick L. Keran, previously the Company’s General Counsel, will serve as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Keran also will continue to serve as the Company’s Secretary and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer.

“The title changes we announce today are well-deserved and reflect the responsibilities and operational influence that Brian and Pat assumed some time ago,” said Jack Lief, Chair of the ADVENTRX Board of Directors. “The Board has confidence in their strategic planning and ability to execute, evidenced in part by their capital-raising success and the submission of the ANX-530 NDA, all during extremely difficult times.”

About ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals
ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company whose product candidates are designed to improve the performance of existing cancer treatments by addressing limitations associated principally with their safety and use. More information can be found on the Company’s web site at www.adventrx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
ADVENTRX cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and assumptions that, if they materialize or do not prove to be accurate, could cause ADVENTRX’s results to differ materially from historical results or those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: ADVENTRX’s dependence on the success of ANX-530, and uncertainty as to whether ANX-530 will receive regulatory approval or be commercialized successfully; the potential that FDA may not accept the ANX-530 NDA for review, or that the bioequivalence data and other information included in the ANX-530 NDA may not adequately support bioequivalence with Navelbine; the potential that changes made in transferring the manufacturing process for ANX-530 may result in a lack of comparability between the commercial product and the material used in clinical trials; the potential for FDA to impose other requirements to be completed before or after approval of the ANX-530 NDA; the possibility that patent claims covering ANX-530 will not issue or, if they do, that such claims, which likely will be limited to a specific intravenous emulsion formulation of vinorelbine, will not be sufficient to preclude development of other formulations of vinorelbine by competitors; the risk of investigator bias in reporting adverse events as a result of the open-label nature of the ANX-530 bioequivalence study, including bias that increased the reporting of adverse events associated with Navelbine and/or that decreased the reporting of adverse events associated with ANX-530; and other risks and uncertainties more fully described in ADVENTRX’s press releases and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ADVENTRX’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available at www.sec.gov.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date when made. ADVENTRX does not intend to revise or update any forward-looking statement set forth in this press release to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which it was made.

Company Contact:	Investor Contact:
ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals Brian Culley, Chief Executive Officer 858-552-0866	Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. Don Markley (dmarkley@lhai.com) 310-691-7100

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