Oxxon Therapeutics Inc. Appoints Craig R. Smith, M.D. Chairman And John Berriman Executive Deputy Chairman Of Its Board Of Directors

OXFORD, England, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxxon Therapeutics today announced the appointment of Craig R. Smith, M.D. as Chairman and John Berriman as Executive Deputy Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors.

Dr Smith has been a member of Oxxon's Board of Directors since June 2005 and is currently a board member of several US companies including Depomed Inc. and Excigen Inc. He was recently appointed Chairman of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co.

Dr Smith has nearly 30 years' experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, medicine and academia. He is the former Chairman, President and CEO of Guilford Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded in 1993. Prior to this, Dr Smith held senior clinical and business development positions at Centocor.

"I appreciate the opportunity the Board of Directors has given me to provide leadership for Oxxon," said Dr Smith. "Oxxon is at the forefront of developing therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of cancer and chronic infectious diseases. Our PrimeBoost (TM) technology is generating exciting results in clinical trials and I look forward to working with the Board and the management team to advance the growth of Oxxon and the development of our novel product candidates.

"I would like to thank Dr Roger Brimblecombe, who recently stepped down as Oxxon's Chairman, for his work with the company since its founding."

Mr Berriman is the Chairman of Algeta ASA and a member of the Board of Directors of MicroMet AG, Ablynx NV and Epigenomics AG. Previously he was a director of Abingworth, an international healthcare venture capital firm, where he was involved in the founding and financing of several biotechnology companies in Europe and the USA. Prior to that, Mr Berriman spent 14 years with Celltech, latterly as the main board Director responsible for Business Development. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from the London Business School.

"Oxxon is an exciting business opportunity poised to enter its next growth phase," said Mr Berriman. "The market opportunity for our product candidates is significant with each of them addressing an unmet therapeutic need, demonstrating the broad commercial potential of our Hi-8(TM) platform technology. We are currently evaluating Oxxon's strategic options and are especially looking for opportunities that will allow us to accelerate further product development. I look forward to using my experience in corporate and business development to identify the optimal path forward."

Craig Smith added, "John has an excellent track record in business development and in strategic planning, particularly for early stage companies developing innovative technologies towards commercialisation. On behalf of Oxxon's board, I would like to welcome John to the team."

About Oxxon Therapeutics

Oxxon Therapeutics (Oxxon), based in Oxford, UK, is advancing the next generation of innovative immunotherapeutics to treat patients with chronic infectious diseases and cancer. To date the Company has built a pipeline through its proprietary Hi-8(TM) PrimeBoost (TM) platform, an approach that allows rapid development of products to selectively stimulate and enhance a potent cellular response. The Company has development programmes in hepatitis, melanoma and HIV, two of which have just completed early Phase II clinical trials. In addition, the Company is leveraging its enabling platform through partnerships with companies and academic collaborations.

For more information, please visit www.oxti.com

Oxxon Therapeutics

CONTACT: For further information, please contact: John Berriman, ExecutiveDeputy Chairman, Oxxon Therapeutics, +44-(0)1865-398100, info@oxti.com,Mark Swallow PhD, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, +44-(0)20-7638-9571,mark.swallow@citigatedr.co.uk

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