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
February
27, 2008
Date
of
Report (Date of earliest event reported)
___________________________________________________________
ACURA
PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
___________________________________________________________
|
State
of New York
|
1-10113
|
11-0853640
|
|
(State
of Other Jurisdiction
of
Incorporation)
|
(Commission
File Number)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
Number)
|
616
N. North Court, Suite 120
Palatine,
Illinois 60067
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(847)
705-7709
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o
Written
communications
pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o
Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17CFR
240.14a-12)
o
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act
(17CFR240.14d-2(b))
o
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17CFR
240.13e- 4(c))
Item
8.01 Other
Events.
On February
27, 2008, the Registrant announced that its President and Chief
Executive Officer, Andrew Reddick, has begun a leave of absence to address
health issues and that the Board of Directors of the Registrant elected Richard
Markham, a director, as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. A
press release announcing the foregoing is being furnished as Exhibit
99.1.
Item
9.01 Financial
Statements and Exhibits.
|
Exhibit
|
|||
|
Number
|
Description
|
||
|
99.1
|
Press
Release dated February 27, 2008 Announcing Appointment of Mr. Richard
Markham as non-executive Chairman and the Leave of Absence of Registrant’s
Chief Executive Officer.
|
||
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 thereunto
duly authorized.
| ACURA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | ||
| |
|
|
| By: | /s/ Peter A. Clemens | |
|
Peter
A. Clemens
Senior
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
|
||
Date: February
27, 2008
EXHIBIT
INDEX
|
Exhibit
|
|||
|
Number
|
Description
|
||
|
99.1
|
Press
Release dated February 27, 2008 Announcing Appointment of Mr. Richard
Markham as non-executive Chairman and the Leave of Absence of Registrant’s
Chief Executive Officer.
|
||
CONTACT:
Acura
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Investor
Relations, Peter A. Clemens, SVP & CFO 847-705-7709
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACURA
PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. ANNOUNCES
ANDREW
REDDICK, PRESIDENT & CEO, TO TAKE MEDICAL LEAVE
AND
APPOINTMENT
OF RICHARD MARKHAM AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Palatine,
IL, February 27, 2008: Acura
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACUR) announced that President and Chief Executive
Officer Andy Reddick has begun a leave of absence for health reasons for an
as-yet undetermined period. Mr. Reddick will continue to serve as a member
of
the Company’s Board of Directors. At the same time, the Company announced
that Richard Markham has been appointed to serve as non-executive Chairman
of
the Board. Mr. Markham has been a member of our Board of Directors since
May, 2006. Since November, 2004 Mr. Markham has served as a partner at Care
Capital, LLC, a venture capital firm that primarily invests in life sciences
companies. From May 2002 until August 2004, Mr. Markham was the Vice Chairman
of
the Management Board and Chief Operating Officer of Aventis SA. From December,
1999 until May, 2002 he was the Chief Executive Officer of Aventis Pharma AG.
Previously he was the Chief Executive Officer of Hoechst Marion Roussel, the
President and Chief Operating Officer of Marion Merrell Dow, Inc. and a member
of its board of directors. From 1973 to 1993 Mr. Markham was associated with
Merck & Co. Inc., culminating in his position as President and Chief
Operating Officer.
The
Company’s Board of Directors, management and staff all wish Mr. Reddick a full
and speedy recovery and look forward to his return as soon as
possible.
About
Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Acura
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in research,
development and manufacture of innovative Aversion® (abuse deterrent) Technology
and related product candidates.
Forward
Looking Statements
This
press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current
expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or
unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially
from our Company’s expectations and projections. The most significant of such
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability, and the
ability of King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development, Inc. and other
pharmaceutical companies, if any, with whom we may license our Aversion®
Technology, to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and commercialize products
utilizing the Aversion® Technology, the ability to avoid infringement of
patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights or trade secrets of third
parties, and the ability to fulfill the FDA’s requirements for approving our
product candidates for commercial manufacturing and distribution in the United
States, including, without limitation, the adequacy of the results of the
clinical studies completed to date and the results of other clinical studies,
to
support FDA approval of our product candidates, the adequacy of the development
program for our product candidates, changes in regulatory requirements, adverse
safety findings relating to our product candidates, the risk that the FDA may
not agree with our analysis of its clinical studies and may evaluate the results
of these studies by different methods or conclude that the results of the
studies are not statistically significant, clinically meaningful or that there
were human errors in the conduct of the studies or otherwise, the risk that
further studies of our product candidates are not positive, and the
uncertainties inherent in scientific research, drug development, clinical
trials, the regulatory approval process, and commercial supply. You are
encouraged to review other important risk factors relating to our operations
on
our web site at www.acurapharm.com under the link, “Company Risk Factors” and
detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume
no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new
information or future events or developments. Our press releases may be reviewed
at www.acurapharm.com.