Salisbury, UK, 8 August 2006: Syntaxin, Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery and development of new medicines derived from engineered bacterial toxins to treat chronic diseases, today announced the appointment of Patrick James Doyle as Chief Executive Officer. Patrick joins Syntaxin from Metabolex, California, where he held the post of Chief Corporate Development Officer and was responsible for the company’s corporate and business development activities.  Patrick’s most recent accomplishment was to lead and conclude negotiations which resulted in the formation of a strategic alliance between Metabolex and Johnson & Johnson worth over $500 million. 

Patrick joined Metabolex from Roche in Basel, Switzerland, where he was Vice President, Global Head of Pre-Clinical Partnering, and a member of Roche’s Research and Development Committee. From 1995 to 2000, Patrick worked at Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen, Denmark, as a scientific coordinator, and during the five years prior to this he was an investigator at the Laboratory of Metabolic Research in Geneva, Switzerland, researching metabolic diseases and brain function. He received his BSc (Hons) degree in pharmacology from the University of Sunderland, UK.  

At Syntaxin, Patrick will work with the Board and the executive team to provide operational and strategic leadership, ensuring that the business achieves ambitious scientific and commercial goals. 

Andy Sandham from Abingworth Management and Chairman of Syntaxin commented: “Patrick brings 15 years of broad pharmaceutical and biotechnology business experience to Syntaxin. His skills complement those of our strong operational, drug-discovery and development teams, and his track record in forging valuable alliances will be essential to Syntaxin’s success.” 

Patrick Doyle commented on his new appointment: “I am delighted to join Syntaxin and look forward to working with the team to develop the business further. Syntaxin builds on sound science and proven technology, as evidenced by the progress of ongoing business relationships that support the Company’s research activities. Furthermore, the support of a top-tier venture group, Abingworth, gives Syntaxin a strong foundation, on which we can expand the business.” 

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Further enquiries: 

Syntaxin Ltd

Dr Charles Penn (Chief Operating Officer)

Tel +44 (0)1980 619801

charles.penn@syntaxin.com 

Northbank Communications

Gemma Bradley, Susan Yu, Katja Stout

Tel +44 (0)20 3008 7550

g.bradley@northbankcommunications.com 

About Syntaxin Ltd

Syntaxin was formed in November 2005 with a mission to discover, develop and commercialise novel pharmaceuticals for the treatment of disorders such as pain, COPD, asthma, Cystic Fibrosis and metabolic diseases. The company has strong technology and intellectual property foundations in the area of neurotoxins. As a spin-out from the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA), Porton Down, the company benefits from over 15 years of research in this field resulting in a proprietary molecular toolbox approach to create engineered toxins for control of cell secretion (including neurotransmission) for disease intervention. These technologies have already produced products that have been tested in preclinical models of certain diseases states. 

Resulting from its HPA origins, Syntaxin has an established executive management and scientific team which will be expanded this year to support new product development. The company earns substantial revenues from its first strategic alliance with Allergan Inc, a global specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company that discovers, develops and commercializes products in the ophthalmology, neurosciences, medical dermatology, medical aesthetics, obesity intervention and other specialty markets that deliver value to its customers, satisfy unmet medical needs, and improve patients’ lives. 

Syntaxin closed a £6 million Series A financing in 2005 led by Abingworth Management Ltd, a leading healthcare venture firm with a proven track record in building valuable biotechnology businesses from start-up through public offering. Abingworth is working closely with the Syntaxin management team to accelerate product and commercial development opportunities.