EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the appointment of Dr. Juergen Lasowski as senior vice president of corporate development. In this role, Dr. Lasowski will lead business development activities for the company, assessing opportunities to potentially expand and diversify Onyx's portfolio.

"Juergen has a proven track record of success in corporate development and, under his leadership, we will remain poised on the business development front in order to move forward opportunistically," said Tony Coles, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Onyx. "While Nexavar remains the core asset for Onyx and the engine for growth for our business, over time we expect to expand our portfolio as the means to build a sustainable profitable company."

Most recently, Dr. Lasowski was the senior vice president of corporate development at NPS Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Dr. Lasowski held several positions at Sanofi-Aventis and its predecessor companies, in both business development and corporate strategy positions. Throughout his career, Dr. Lasowski has completed more than 25 different business transactions and worked on three continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Dr. Lasowski earned his MBA from INSEAD, France, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Mainz, Germany.

About Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of people with cancer by changing the way cancer is treated (TM). The company, in collaboration with Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is developing and marketing Nexavar(R), a small molecule drug. Nexavar is currently approved for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer and liver cancer. Additionally, Nexavar is being investigated in several ongoing trials in non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, and other cancers. For more information about Onyx, visit the company's website at http://www.onyx-pharm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the progress and results of business development activities, clinical development, regulatory processes, and commercialization efforts. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated. Reference should be made to Onyx's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading "Risk Factors" and Onyx's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a more detailed description of such factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date of this release. Onyx undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events, or circumstances after the date of this release except as required by law.

Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets is a registered trademark of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

CONTACT: Alexandra Santos of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-510-597-6504

Web site: http://www.onyx-pharm.com/