diaDexus Appoints Mika Newton To Lead Clinical Development Service Business

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - January 27, 2015) - diaDexus, Inc. (OTCQB: DDXS), a company developing and commercializing proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products, today announced the appointment of Mika Newton as general manager of the clinical development services business unit to partner with pharmaceutical companies interested in using the Company’s proprietary cardiac biomarkers in their clinical development programs.

“We and others in the industry believe there is great potential in pairing biomarkers with therapeutics in clinical development to deliver better outcomes for patients,” said Lori Rafield, Ph.D., chairman of the board of directors and interim chief executive officer. “Our history of partnering with pharmaceutical companies in the past has positioned us for continuing this business as an additional source of growth and Mika has the experience to lead this initiative. Previously at Archimedes, he was the first commercial professional hired to bring to pharmaceutical companies the Company’s technology and research services, including health economic modeling, and clinical trial design with an emphasis on cardiovascular safety. We look forward to Mika leading this business and the ongoing discussions we are having to provide services for pharmaceutical partners.”

“I am excited to join diaDexus as we focus on partnering our portfolio of proprietary assays with major pharmaceutical companies,” said Mika Newton, general manager, clinical development service business. “In my experience over the past decade, including working with Lp-PLA2, there is a growing need to incorporate novel biomarkers in clinical development and post-approval safety studies. As part of our partners’ clinical trial enrichment strategy, our high-quality testing services, assay technology and proven execution are key components in generating the data to increase the understanding of cardiovascular disease.”

Mika Newton has over fifteen years of experience in the life sciences industry, leading sales, marketing, and commercial operations functions. He joined diaDexus in January 2015 as general manager of the clinical development service business to partner with pharmaceutical companies by providing sampling and testing services to support their clinical development of cardiovascular therapies or post-approval cardiovascular safety studies. Prior to joining diaDexus, Mr. Newton was the senior vice president of client and market development for Evidera, responsible for commercial development activities, including client relationships, strategic consulting, sales, marketing and external communications. Previously, he led the sales and marketing efforts at Archimedes, Inc., which was acquired by Evidera in January 2014. Earlier, he was executive director of business development at Innovex, a division of Quintiles Transnational; director of sales operations at Invitrogen, Americas; and director of discovery research product sales U.S. at Tripos.

Mr. Newton earned a bachelor’s degree in science in biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and studied corporate finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About diaDexus, Inc.

diaDexus, Inc., based in South San Francisco, California, develops and commercializes proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular disease. The Company’s two diagnostic products are the only FDA-cleared Lp-PLA2 blood tests to uncover the hidden risk of cardiovascular disease. The PLAC® Test ELISA Kit is to be used in conjunction with clinical evaluation and patient risk assessment as an aid in predicting risk for both coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis, the #1 and #3 causes of death, respectively, in the United States. The PLAC® Test for Lp-PLA2 Activity is to be used in conjunction with clinical evaluation and patient risk assessment as an aid in predicting risk of coronary heart disease in patients with no prior history of cardiovascular events, which represents approximately 75% of coronary heart disease patients. The company also has heart failure biomarkers for development. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.diaDexus.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Important factors include our ability to generate and grow revenue from our service business. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and available at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. The information in this release speaks only as of the date hereof, and except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward looking statement.