William K. Heiden Appointed CEO of Elixir Pharmaceuticals.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the appointment of William K. Heiden as its new President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of its Board of Directors. Elixir Pharmaceuticals is a research-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the science of aging, and is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies to treat metabolic diseases.

Commenting on the appointment, Vaughn M. Kailian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Elixir stated, "We are delighted to have Bill join Elixir as our Chief Executive Officer at this important juncture in our evolution. With a broad platform of intellectual property assets and a robust discovery research program, Elixir is poised to make a number of important strategic moves in the near-term. Bill's operating experience as a senior executive in both large and small pharmaceutical companies makes him an ideal choice for this position."

Mr. Heiden had most recently been President and Chief Operating Officer of PRAECIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to PRAECIS, he held a variety of domestic and international executive positions with the Schering-Plough Corporation including Vice President, Oncology/Biotech and Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Cardiovascular. Mr. Heiden holds an MBA from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, an MA degree the University of Louvain and a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Florida.

"I am very enthusiastic about taking on this new role at Elixir," stated Mr. Heiden. "The management team and scientific advisors have all contributed to create a solid platform on which we will continue to build a successful biopharmaceutical company. Elixir is on the cutting edge in one of the most exciting new research areas; the science of aging. Near-term, this translates into a number of opportunities to develop and market therapies to treat metabolic diseases."

Elixir Pharmaceuticals is focused on discovering and developing new drugs for metabolic disorders based on a unique understanding of the genetics of aging and its fundamental relationship to the onset of major diseases. Elixir scientists have identified many important genes that regulate aging and the proteins encoded by those genes are the targets of the company's drug discovery efforts. More information about Elixir is available at www.elixirpharm.com.