SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of hepatology and gastrointestinal therapies that address orphan and underserved patient populations with unmet medical needs, today announced that William R. Ringo has been elected to its Board of Directors and will serve as Chairman.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070905/AQW076LOGO)

Mr. Ringo brings to the Hyperion Board thirty-five years of experience working with public and private pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Abgenix, Inc., which sold for $2.7 billion to Amgen in April 2006. In 2001 he retired from Eli Lilly & Company as Product Group President for Oncology and Critical Care. During his twenty-eight years at Eli Lilly & Company, Mr. Ringo held a number of senior positions including President of Internal Medicine Products, President of Infectious Diseases Business Unit, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for U.S. Pharmaceuticals. He is currently an Executive-in-Residence at Sofinnova Ventures and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Intermune and a member of the Board of Directors of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Allos Therapeutics, Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Portola Pharmaceuticals, and BioCrossroads, a not for profit organization. Mr. Ringo holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the University of Dayton.

"We are very excited to have Bill join Hyperion as our Chairman," said Chris Rivera, President and CEO. "Having someone with his experience and track record in the industry on our Board should help us continue to build value in Hyperion, as well as execute our long-term strategy."

About Hyperion Therapeutics

Hyperion Therapeutics is a specialty therapeutics company focused on becoming a global leader in hepatology and gastrointestinal (GI) therapeutic programs and products that address orphan and underserved patient populations with unmet medical needs. The company has assembled a seasoned executive team with extensive industry experience developing and commercializing specialty pharmaceutical products. Hyperion is headquartered in South San Francisco, CA. For additional information, visit: http://www.hyperiontx.com.

CONTACT: Chris Rivera, President and CEO of Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc.,
+1-650-745-7802

Web site: http://www.hyperiontx.com/