Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation Appoints R. Gordon Douglas, M.D. Chairman Of The Board

GERMANTOWN, Md., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation , a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel anti-infective products, today announced that R. Gordon Douglas, M.D., has been appointed chairman of the board for the Company, effective February 2, 2006. Dr. Douglas has been an Advancis director since 2000, the year the Company began operations. Edward M. Rudnic, Ph.D., co- founder, president, chief executive officer, and former chairman of Advancis, will continue in his role of president and CEO and will remain a member of the Company's board. Dr. Douglas will also serve as chairman of Advancis' Executive Committee.

"The Advancis board of directors believes elevating Gordon to chairman furthers the spirit of board independence envisioned by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act," said Dr. Edward M. Rudnic, Advancis president and CEO. "Moreover, I believe the breadth of Gordon's pharmaceutical industry experience and his infectious disease expertise will serve the interests of Advancis stockholders very well. Gordon has been a trusted strategic advisor since I founded the Company, and I look forward to his increased contributions and guidance. Gordon has excelled in all areas of his background including as a medical practitioner, infectious disease professor, and business executive. His reputation as an effective leader and his demonstrated strength of character will be of great benefit as we continue Advancis' development of our proprietary PULSYS product candidates."

"Having been part of the team from the beginning, I appreciate the opportunity and confidence my colleagues at Advancis have demonstrated by appointing me chairman," said Dr. Douglas. "I have great confidence in Ed and the Advancis management team he has assembled, and I will support their efforts to the best of my ability. I look forward to becoming even more involved in charting a path for Advancis' future as I assume the role of chairman."

In addition to his role as Advancis director, Dr. Douglas currently serves as consultant to the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health. He was president, Merck Vaccines, responsible for the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of Merck Vaccines' vaccine products, from 1989 until 1999. From 1982 to 1990, he was a professor of medicine and chairman, department of medicine, Cornell University Medical College and physician-in-chief, the New York Hospital. Dr. Douglas also served as head of the infectious disease unit at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

About Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation:

Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of pulsatile drug products that fulfill substantial unmet medical needs in the treatment of infectious disease. The Company is developing anti-infective drugs based on its novel biological finding that bacteria exposed to antibiotics in front- loaded staccato bursts, or "pulses," are killed more efficiently than those under standard treatment regimens. Based on this finding, Advancis has developed a proprietary, once-a-day pulsatile delivery technology called PULSYSTM. By examining the resistance patterns of bacteria and applying its delivery technologies, Advancis has the potential to redefine infectious disease therapy and significantly improve drug efficacy, shorten length of therapy, and reduce drug resistance versus currently available antibacterial products. For more on Advancis, please visit http://www.advancispharm.com.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on Advancis' current expectations and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that would cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The words, "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," and variations of such words, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that the statement is not forward- looking. Statements in this announcement that are forward-looking include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company's future development plans, clinical trials, and potential commercial success.

The actual results realized by Advancis could differ materially from these forward-looking statements, depending in particular upon the risks and uncertainties described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's financial results and the ability of the Company to (1) reach profitability, (2) prove that the preliminary findings for its product candidates are valid, (3) receive required regulatory approvals, (4) successfully conduct clinical trials in a timely manner with favorable results, (5) establish its competitive position for its products, (6) develop and commercialize products that are superior to existing or newly developed competitor products, (7) develop products without any defects, (8) have sufficient capital resources to fund its operations, (9) protect its intellectual property rights and patents, (10) implement its sales and marketing strategy and reach its sales goals, (11) successfully attract and retain collaborative partners and have its partners fulfill their obligations, and (12) retain its senior management and other personnel. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today's date. Advancis undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information in this announcement, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation

CONTACT: Robert Bannon, Senior Director, Investor Relations of AdvancisPharmaceutical Corp., +1-301-944-6710, rbannon@advancispharm.com

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