Syndexa Pharmaceuticals Corp. Appoints Georges Gemayel, Ph.D. to Its Board of Directors

Cambridge, MA, August 7, 2008 – Syndexa Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drugs to treat metabolic diseases, announced the appointment of Georges Gemayel, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors. Dr. Gemayel has over 20 years of leadership experience with leading biopharmaceutical companies. Dr. Gemayel is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

“Syndexa is delighted to welcome Georges to our Board of Directors. Georges brings to our team a wealth of experience in strategy and management in the biopharmaceutical industry,” said Teo Uysal, President and CEO of Syndexa. “Georges’ deep industry experience in building value and bringing products to market further strengthen Syndexa’s management team. I look forward to working with Georges as we continue to advance our drug discovery programs in metabolic diseases.”

Dr. Georges Gemayel is the CEO and a member of the board of Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. since June 2, 2008. Prior to Altus he was Executive Vice President at Genzyme Corporation for five years where he was responsible for the company's therapeutics, transplant, renal and biosurgery businesses. Before he joined Genzyme, Dr. Gemayel worked for the health care company Hoffman-LaRoche for 16 years. There he served as vice president of the U.S. Specialty Care Business with responsibilities for oncology, transplantation, hepatitis, HIV and dermatology. He also was the general manager of Hoffman-LaRoche Portugal. Dr. Gemayel completed his doctorate in pharmacy at St. Joseph University in Beirut and earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology at Paris-Sud University. Dr. Gemayel also serves on the board of directors of Adolor Corporation.

“I am truly excited to join the Syndexa team” said Dr. Georges Gemayel. “Harnessing the biological interface of the inflammatory and metabolic pathways presents an immense opportunity to develop a robust pipeline of innovative drugs and holds great promises for patients in need. I look forward to working with the management team and helping Syndexa to capitalize on its promising science and build long-term value.”

About Syndexa Pharmaceuticals Syndexa is dedicated to the discovery and development of a new generation of small-molecule drugs targeting the biological interface between inflammatory and metabolic pathways, novel mechanisms for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases.

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