Telik Names Stefan Ryser, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Telik, Inc.
(Nasdaq: TELK), today announced that Stefan Ryser has been appointed to the
newly created position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy. Dr. Ryser
brings to Telik more than 20 years of executive and investment experience in
the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including 10 years as an
independent Telik director.
Dr. Ryser most recently served as founding and managing partner of Bear
Stearns Health Innoventures, a $212 million private equity fund established in
2000. He also founded and managed, beginning in 1998, International
Biomedicine Management Partners, a biotechnology venture fund.
Previously, Dr. Ryser held various senior management positions of
increasing responsibility at F. Hoffmann-La Roche, including Scientific
Assistant to the President, Global Research and Development. While at Roche he
led initiatives to assess the impact of emerging technologies on
pharmaceutical research and development, and assisted in the establishment and
management of strategic research and development alliances. Dr. Ryser has
served on numerous boards of directors in both public and private
biotechnology companies.
"Dr. Ryser's extensive industry experience and knowledge of Telik make him
an important addition to our management team, and strengthen Telik's ability
to achieve its key business goals," said Michael M. Wick, M.D., Ph.D., the
company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
"I am very pleased to join Telik," said Dr. Ryser, "and I look forward to
working with its dedicated team to realize the full potential of Telik's
product pipeline."
About Telik
Telik, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on
discovering, developing, and commercializing novel small molecule drugs to
treat serious diseases. The company's most advanced investigational drug
candidates in clinical development are TELINTRA(R), a modified glutathione
analog for the treatment of cytopenias due to myelodysplastic syndrome or
chemotherapy, and TELCYTA(R), a tumor-activated prodrug for the treatment of
advanced ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Telik's product
candidates were discovered using its proprietary drug discovery technology,
TRAP(R), which enables the rapid and efficient discovery of small molecule
drug candidates.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including
statements regarding Dr. Ryser's potential contribution to Telik and Telik's
development of pipeline drugs and achievement of key business goals, as well
as statements concerning the future development of TELINTRA and TELCYTA and
diseases against which these drugs may be effective. These forward-looking
statements are based upon Telik's current expectations. There are important
factors that could cause Telik's results to differ materially from those
indicated by these forward-looking statements. Detailed information regarding
factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results
expressed or implied by statements in this press release may be found in
Telik's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the factors described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008. Telik does
not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in
this press release.
TELIK, the Telik logo, TELINTRA, TELCYTA, and TRAP are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Telik, Inc.
SOURCE Telik, Inc.

Patricia P. Frias, Corporate Communications of Telik, Inc., +1-650-845-7927,
pfrias@telik.com