STOCKHOLM, February 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

OxThera AB, a Stockholm-based privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Dr Georges Gemayel has been appointed new chairman of the Board of Directors for OxThera.

"I am very glad to join the Board of Directors of Oxthera" says Dr Gemayel. "Primary Hyperoxaluria is a devastating disease and Oxabact^® holds the promise to become the first therapy to be approved for its treatment.  I am looking forward to working with Elisabeth Lindner and her team to bring this therapy to the patients as soon as possible", Dr Gemayel continues.

Dr. Gemayel´s experience includes positions as Executive Chairman of FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. and as Executive Vice President for Genzyme Corporation. Dr. Gemayel received his doctorate in pharmacy from St. Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Paris-Sud University. Dr. Gemayel also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vascular Magnetics, Inc. and Epitherapeutics and as a member of the Board of Directors of Orphazyme ApS, NPS Pharmaceuticals and Prosensa. He is also a Director of the International Institute of New England.

OxThera is currently conducting a placebo-controlled clinical trial with Oxabact^® in patients with Primary Hyperoxaluria at seven clinical sites in three countries. Results are expected after summer this year. Oxabact^® is an oral product composed of highly concentrated freeze-dried live bacteria (Oxalobacter formigenes), administered in capsules.

Primary Hyperoxaluria (PH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder leading to markedly elevated levels of endogenous oxalate in plasma and urine. High levels of urinary oxalate cause kidney damage, including calcification of the kidney. If left untreated, the disease can cause kidney failure and premature death.

OxThera holds proprietary rights to pharmaceutical preparations and their use for treatment of hyperoxaluria. Oxabact^® holds orphan drug designations in the EU and the US for the treatment of PH.

About OxThera

OxThera holds worldwide rights for compositions and methods of use for treatment of hyperoxaluria. OxThera currently has two products in its pipeline: Oxabact^® for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, and Oxazyme^®, an oxalate decarboxylase, for the treatment of oxalate malabsorption and kidney failure in enteric hyperoxaluria.

For further information, please contact

Elisabeth Lindner, CEO of OxThera AB, Phone +46-8-660-0223

http://www.oxthera.com

SOURCE OxThera