MediQuest Hires Pharmaceutical Industry Veteran as Senior VP of Sales

(BOTHELL, WA - July 2) - MediQuest Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for inflammatory/ infectious diseases that recently completed Phase IIIa clinical trials for a therapy designed to treat Raynaud's Disease, is pleased to announce that Steve Murdock has joined the Company as its senior vice president of sales.

"MediQuest is a research leader in a number of sizeable therapeutic categories that are currently underserved and I'm extremely pleased to be joining the leadership team," Murdock said. "I'm excited about the potential that these product candidates have to help physicians overcome the clinical challenges they face with these diseases and improve their patients' lives. I look forward to helping MediQuest build its commercial organization and bringing these innovative products to market."

Murdock, a 21- year veteran of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, has had extensive experience building and leading sales organizations at Searle Pharmaceuticals and ICOS Corporation. He has been a key leader in the launch of major brands such as Celebrex for arthritis and Cialis for erectile dysfunction. In his most recent role as vice president, sales at ICOS Corporation, Murdock played a critical role in the development and execution of the Cialis marketing plan, which was cited by Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress as Best Pharmaceutical Launch of 2004.

"Having just completed Phase IIIa clinical trials for Vascana - the first therapy specifically designed to treat Raynaud's Disease - the addition of a seasoned expert like Steve Murdock comes at a pivotal time in our Company's development," said Dr. Frederick Dechow, president and CEO of MediQuest. "We would like him to replicate his earlier successful product launches once Vascana receives regulatory approval."

Murdock received his BA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also served in the US Navy in a variety of leadership roles retiring as a captain.