OXIS
INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS MARVIN S. HAUSMAN M.D.
PRESIDENT
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Foster
City, CA (September 21, 2006) - OXIS International, Inc. (OTCBB: OXIS.OB)
(Nouveau Marché: OXIS) (FWB: OXI) announced today that Steve
T.
Guillen's employment as the President and Chief Executive Officer of OXIS
was
terminated on September 15, 2006.
Mr.
Guillen will continue to serve on the company’s Board of Directors. The Board of
Directors of OXIS has appointed Dr. Marvin S. Hausman to succeed Mr. Guillen.
Dr. Hausman will maintain his current position as Chairman of the
Board.
John
Repine M.D., OXIS Board member and CEO of Webb-Waring Institute, Denver,
Colorado, a leading antioxidant research center, stated “Because of his
extensive experience, creative insights and numerous contacts in medical
diagnostics and therapeutics, Dr. Hausman brings a visionary leadership to
OXIS.
He has the comprehensive scientific, marketing and business skills needed
to
integrate and energetically advance OXIS’s diagnostic and therapeutic
portfolios.”
Dr.
Hausman is a highly respected physician-scientist and graduate of New York
University School of Medicine. He is a Board Certified Urological Surgeon
who
trained at the UCLA School of Medicine and was a practicing physician for
more
than 25 years. Dr. Hausman has gained over 30 years of experience in the
research and development of pharmaceutical therapeutic and diagnostic products.
He has assisted in the successful research, development and launch of marketed
pharmaceutical products for many companies, including Bristol Myers
International, Mead Johnson Pharmaceutical Company, Baxter-Travenol and E.
R.
Squibb. In addition he co-founded Medco Research, Inc, a NYSE biopharmaceutical
company acquired by King Pharmaceuticals as well as Axonyx, Inc, (AXYX),
a
NASDAQ listed company specializing in the development of central nervous
system
drugs, who on June 8th,
2006
announced a merger with Torrey Pines Therapeutics Inc. Dr. Hausman is a
Principal of Northwest Medical Research, Inc., a company dedicated to the
discovery of drugs, neutraceuticals and diagnostic agents that have applications
in promoting the well-being of humans and animals. Northwest Medical Research
is
currently involved in an international collaboration on the development of
a
rapid sensitive diagnostic assay to track Avian Influenza infections as well
as
the development of bioactive anti-inflammatory products from exotic
mushrooms.
About
OXIS and BioCheck:
OXIS
International, Inc. develops technologies and products to research, diagnose,
treat and prevent diseases of oxidative stress associated with damage from
free
radical and reactive oxygen species. The company holds the rights to three
therapeutic classes of compounds in the area of oxidative stress, and has
focused commercialization programs in clinical cardiovascular markers, including
MPO (myeloperoxidase) and GPx (glutathione peroxidase), as well as a highly
potent antioxidant, Ergothioneine, that may be sold over-the-counter (OTC)
as a
dietary supplement. OXIS has acquired a 51% interest in and has the option
to
purchase the remaining 49% of BioCheck, Inc..
BioCheck,
Inc. is a leading provider of high quality enzyme immunoassay research services
and products including immunoassay kits for cardiac and tumor markers,
infectious diseases, thyroid function, steroids, and fertility hormones.
The
company operates a 15,000 square-foot, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA)
certified cGMP, and ISO device-manufacturing facility in Foster City,
California. BioCheck has advanced developmental programs on two promising
cancer
biomarkers, related to the Id-gene, and the HMGA2 gene. Id proteins play
a
significant role in the process of tumor related angiogenesis and other
functions related to blood vessel formation. The HMGA2 gene has been implicated
in aggressive forms of breast cancer.
More
information about OXIS, BioCheck and its products, services as well as current
SEC filings may be obtained by visiting http://www.oxis.com,
http://www.oxisresearch.com
and
http://www.biocheckinc.com.
*
*
*
The
statements in this press release that are not purely historical are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including,
without limitation, statements regarding our expectations, objectives,
anticipations, plans, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding
the
future. Forward-looking
statements in this release include statements regarding: (i) that
Dr. Hausman will bring visionary leadership to OXIS and (ii) that Dr. Hausman
will be able to integrate and energetically advance OXIS’s diagnostic and
therapeutic portfolios based on his comprehensive scientific, marketing and
business skills. Factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements include risks and uncertainties such as the
inability of OXIS to close a financing transaction to maintain its operations
and repay its debt; the acquisition of the remaining 49% of the BioCheck
shares
by OXIS not closing due to, among other reasons, the inability of OXIS to
close
a financing transaction; the risks inherent in integrating an acquired business;
risks inherent in owning a majority interest in a company; unforeseen
difficulties in achieving synergies following an acquisition; unforeseen
difficulties related to the company’s oxidative stress and other diagnostic
products; the development by the company’s competitors of new competing
products; the ability to integrate and advance OXIS’s diagnostic and therapeutic
portfolios, and other risks indicated in the company’s filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. It is important to note that actual outcomes
could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Readers
should also refer to the documents filed by the company with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission, specifically the company’s annual report on Form 10-KSB
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2006 and the
company's quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB filed thereafter.