Cleveland BioLabs Announces Changes to Board of Directors

BUFFALO, N.Y., April 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.(Nasdaq:CBLI) today announced that its board of directors has appointed Julia Brown and Anthony Principi as new independent directors and David Hohn, M.D., a current director, as Chairman of the board. Bernard Kasten, M.D. and Michael Fonstein, Ph.D., will retire from the board at the Company's 2013 annual meeting of shareholders, following the expiration of their current terms.

David Hohn, M.D., Chairman of the board, commented, "We are very excited to have Julia and Tony on our team. Julia is a 40-year biotechnology industry professional, who has served in senior executive positions at development and commercial stage companies, including a 25 year tenure at Eli Lilly and Company. She brings specialized expertise in commercial operations, business and corporate development, partnering, strategic planning and corporate governance. Tony is a highly decorated war veteran who has served in numerous senior administration roles in the U.S. Government and as a senior executive at Pfizer, Inc. I am confident that Julia and Tony's complementary experience and ability to provide strategic guidance at all levels will add great value to our board.  CBLI has been making a major transformation over the past year and I am excited about working closely with our executive management team and the board in my role as Chairman to move the organization forward."

"We are thrilled to gain the specialized industry know-how and counsel of Julia and Tony as CBLI continues to develop into a more clinically-oriented oncology company with a pivotal-stage radiation countermeasure," stated Yakov Kogan, Ph.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer and board member.  "Over the last year, we intensified our focus on regulatory affairs and clinical development, which is reflected by our operational leadership. Now we are proud to take the first steps in more closely aligning the representation on our board with this strategic direction. Julia and Tony's understanding of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the challenges of managing growth and working with government agencies will be invaluable as we advance our oncology clinical trials and pursue approval of Entolimod™ as a radiation countermeasure."

"We thank Bernie and Michael for their years of dedication and service as board members and deeply appreciate David's commitment to leading our board and guiding us through this dynamic period in our evolution as a company," added Dr. Kogan.

Ms. Brown currently serves on the boards of Targacept, Inc., a company engaged in development of neuronal nicotinic receptor therapeutics and Biodel Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company.  She chairs the compensation committee of both boards and serves on the nominating and governance committee for Biodel. Julia previously served on the boards of Trius Therapeutics, Inc., Tanox, Inc. (acquired by Genentech, Inc.), CovX (acquired by Pfizer, Inc.), Labopharm, Inc. (acquired by Paladin Labs Inc.), and MediQuest Therapeutics, Inc. 

From 2000 to 2003, Ms. Brown was Executive Vice President of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and served as Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer until 2008. From 1995 to 1999, she worked for Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc., finishing her tenure as Executive Vice President. Prior to this, Julia spent over 25 years with Eli Lilly and Company in progressively more senior roles. From 1992 to 1994, Julia was Vice President of IVAC Corporation and General Manager of its Vital Signs Division (a Lilly subsidiary). She was Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Hybritech (another Lilly subsidiary), and led global marketing from 1986-1992. Ms. Brown holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Louisiana Tech University.

Mr. Principi currently serves on the boards of Engility Holdings, Inc., a government services contractor; Mutual of Omaha, a life insurance company; A.T. Kearney PSDS, a management consulting firm; the Lung Cancer Alliance, a non-profit patient support and advocacy group and the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that provides programs and services to severely injured service members during their transition between active duty and civilian life. From 2006 to 2011, he was Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Pfizer, Inc. Prior to joining Pfizer, Mr. Principi served as the 4th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush.  In 2005, Anthony was appointed to chair the Military Base Realignment and Closure Commission that was responsible for recommending to the President and Congress the realignment and closure of military installations throughout the United States.

From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Principi served as President of QTC Management Inc., the largest private provider of government-outsourced occupational health and disability examination services in the U.S. and was later named Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President at Lockheed Martin IMS Corp. He served as chief counsel and staff director of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee from 1993 to 1994 following his tenure as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 1989 to 1992. From 1984 to 1988, he served as chief counsel and staff director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, following three years as counsel to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University in 1975 and was assigned to the Navy'sJudge Advocate General Corps., and later appointed as legislative counsel for the Department of the Navy. Mr. Principi received a Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and was awarded the Bronze Star with combat "V" for valor and several other military decorations for valor.

About Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.

Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging deep mechanistic understanding of the cell death process, apoptosis, to develop a robust pipeline of compounds primarily focused on oncology applications and mitigation of radiation injury. The Company's lead compound is being developed as both a radiation countermeasure and a cancer treatment. The Company has two operating subsidiaries, Incuron, LLC, and Panacela Labs, Inc., and strategic relationships with the Cleveland Clinic, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Children's Cancer Institute Australia and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. To learn more about Cleveland BioLabs, Inc., please visit the Company's website at http://www.cbiolabs.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking information about Cleveland BioLabs that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Words such as "expect(s)," "feel(s)," "believe(s)," "will," "may," "anticipate(s)" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our ability to successfully obtain regulatory approval for our therapeutic product candidates; statements regarding our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our therapeutic products; our ability to expand our long-term business opportunities; the conduct and results of our various clinical trials; and future performance. All of such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. 

These factors include, among others, the Company's inability to obtain regulatory approval in a timely manner or at all; the Company's failure to develop new products; the Company's collaborative relationships and the financial risks related thereto; the risks inherent in the early stages of drug development and in conducting clinical trials. Some of these factors could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements. See also the "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" described in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Source: Cleveland BioLabs, Inc.