Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SWX:SANN), a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on neuromuscular diseases, announced today that it has appointed Dr Cesare Mondadori to the position of Senior Vice President Research. As Head of Research, he will oversee all research activities and have responsibility for the Company's preclinical programs reporting directly to Dr Thomas Meier, Chief Scientific Officer of Santhera. "Cesare is a distinguished pharmaceutical research manager with a track record in basic research, drug discovery and preclinical drug development, particularly in the CNS area. He brings to Santhera almost 30 years of experience both in big pharmaceutical and biotech companies. His background, ranging from target discovery and assay development to in vivo pharmacology, preclinical development as well as preparation of clinical studies, will be of great value in further enhancing Santhera's preclinical organization," said Dr Thomas Meier, Chief Scientific Officer of Santhera. "It is with great pleasure that we welcome Cesare to Santhera and I am confident that he will make a significant contribution to advancing our preclinical programs in neuromuscular diseases." Dr Mondadori joins Santhera from Neuro3d, Mulhouse, France, where he was Chief Scientific Officer with responsibility for all aspects of drug discovery and development of this CNS company. Prior to this position, Dr Mondadori was Head of CNS research at Aventis (1999 to 2000) and before at Hoechst Marion Russell and Marion Merrell Dow respectively (1996 to 1999) with focus on target discovery, assay development, target validation and screening in several CNS indications. In this role he was a member of the drug innovation and approval teams as well as the scientific review committees. Dr Mondadori began his scientific career at Ciba-Geigy, Basel, Switzerland in 1978 as a research scientist in psychopharmacology. From 1981 to 1982 he was associate professor at the Department of Psychology of the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Mondadori holds a PhD in neurosciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland. * * * About Santhera Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SWX:SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery, development and marketing of small molecule pharmaceutical products for the treatment of severe neuromuscular diseases. Santhera's vision is to become a leading specialty pharmaceutical company offering therapies for a number of indications in this area of high unmet medical need which includes many orphan indications with no current therapy. Santhera currently has four clinical-stage development programs, three of which are investigating its lead compound, SNT-MC17 (INN: idebenone), in the treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA), Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). The fourth clinical program is investigating JP-1730 (INN: fipamezole) for the treatment of Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease (DPD) in cooperation with Juvantia, the compound's owner. The most advanced program, SNT-MC17 in FRDA, is currently prepared for filing for Marketing Authorization Approval (MAA) in Europe and in Phase III clinical development in the US while the other clinical programs are in Phase II. For further information, please visit www.santhera.com. For Further Information, Contact Santhera Pharmaceuticals Thomas Meier Thomas Staffelbach Chief Scientific Officer VP Public & Investor Relations phone: +41 (0)61 906 89 87 phone: +41 (0)61 906 89 47 [email protected] [email protected] Media Contacts: Citigate Dewe Rogerson David Dible Valerie Auffray phone: +44 207 638 95 71 phone: +44 207 638 95 71 [email protected] [email protected] Disclaimer/Forward-looking Statements This news release is not and under no circumstances is to be construed as a solicitation, offer, or recommendation, to buy or sell securities issued by Santhera. Santhera makes no representation (either express or implied) that the information and opinions expressed in this news release are accurate, complete or up to date. Santhera disclaims, without limitation, all liability for any loss or damage of any kind, including any direct, indirect or consequential damages, which might be incurred in connection with the information contained in this news release. Forward-looking statements and other information contained in this release involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements reflect the current views, intentions and estimates of the Company. They are based on assumptions that may be inaccurate. Results could differ materially from those anticipated. Certain of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expect", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seek" or "anticipate" or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Furthermore, the Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. --- End of Message --- Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG Hammerstrasse 47 Liestal Switzerland WKN: A0LCUK; ISIN: CH0027148649; Index: SPI, SPIEX, SSCI; Listed: Main Market in SWX Swiss Exchange;