New Executive Appointments Enhance Tularik's Clinical Development Capabilities.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2001

Dr. Michael D. Levy named VP, Development & Chief Medical Officer;

Roxanne Bales appointed VP, Regulatory Affairs 

Tularik Inc. (Nasdaq:TLRK) today announced two key additions to its executive ranks that will further focus and significantly enhance the company's clinical capabilities as its drug development program matures. Dr. Michael D. Levy has been named Vice President, Development, and Chief Medical Officer. Additionally, Roxanne Bales has been appointed Vice President, Regulatory Affairs.

Dr. Levy joins Tularik from Glaxo Wellcome Inc., where he was Senior Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer, responsible for the R&D facility in Toronto, Canada. At Tularik, in addition to serving as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Levy will lead development efforts and dedicate himself to the approval of new products. He will also help define Tularik's strategic direction as a member of the senior management team.

David V. Goeddel, Ph.D., Tularik's CEO, said Levy's 13 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and commercialization would be invaluable as more of its compounds move into the clinic. "With four drugs currently in clinical trials and other lead compounds at the pre-clinical stage, our development operations are poised for substantial growth. Michael Levy's leadership and expertise will be critical for our future growth. This appointment is a continuation of the steady and timely approach we've taken to adding highly qualified members to our team as our programs produce results."

Levy, 39, joined Glaxo Wellcome in 1988. As Senior Vice-President of R&D, he presided over Glaxo's R&D center in Toronto as its staff grew from 12 to 450. Dr. Levy received his BA, MA, MB and BCHIR (medical licensure) degrees from Cambridge University, UK. He undertook postgraduate training at Cambridge University and The Mayo Clinic. He is the recipient of several academic prizes. He is a Fellow and Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians (UK). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Genetics Institute of the recently formed Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The addition of Ms. Bales, the new Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, similarly boosts Tularik's drug development capabilities. Bales comes to Tularik from SangStat, where she had been VP of Regulatory Affairs. For a decade prior to taking that position, she had been a director in the regulatory division at Genentech.

"Roxanne Bales has over 20 years of experience in regulatory affairs, and has led large professional teams involved in the late-stage development of many important drugs and biologics," Dr. Goeddel noted. "She is also extremely well-versed in procedures required for the NDA and IND processes. She's highly regarded and well connected in the regulatory community, and we expect to gain much from her counsel and strategic guidance as Tularik moves its products through the pipeline."

Ms. Bales received her BA and MA in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. In addition to her work at SangStat and Genentech, she has held positions in health-related fields such as cancer research, pharmaceutical and device development, and toxicology research.

Dr. Goeddel took the occasion of the new appointments to also announce two executive promotions within the company. Terry Rosen, Ph.D., currently Vice President, Research Operations, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations. In that post, Dr. Goeddel said, Dr. Rosen will have added responsibilities in the business development area. At the same time, Bill Rieflin, currently Tularik's General Counsel, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Administration. According to Dr. Goeddel, Mr. Rieflin will now take on new responsibilities in both human resources and finance.

Tularik is engaged in the discovery and development of a broad range of novel and superior, orally available drugs which act through the regulation of gene expression. Tularik programs address cancer, viral diseases, diabetes, obesity, inflammation, immune disorders, lipid disorders and bacterial diseases, and a class of targets known as orphan nuclear receptors. Tularik has established strategic partnerships with Japan Tobacco Inc., Roche Bioscience and Knoll AG. For more information, visit Tularik's Internet website at www.tularik.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements. For this purpose, any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes", "anticipates", "plans", "expects", "will", "intent" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Tularik to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in Tularik's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-K for the quarter ended September 30, 2000.