Synta Pharmaceuticals Strengthens Management Team with New Scientific and Business Appointments

LEXINGTON, Mass., - October 15, 2004 - Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., an emerging pharmaceutical company, today announced the following appointments: Ninad Deshpanday, Ph.D. as Vice President, Drug Product Development; Patricia McCall as Vice President, Human Resources; and Cynthia Clayton as Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications.


Ninad Deshpanday, Ph.D., Vice President, Drug Product Development

Dr. Deshpanday comes to Synta from Cardinal Health where he was the Technical Business Director responsible for both business development and strategic technical functions within the Pharmaceutics division. Dr. Deshpanday has over 14 years experience in product development and drug delivery technology and has led the product development efforts behind numerous successful filings with regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe, and Japan across multiple therapeutic areas including dermatology, cardiology, and cancer. Prior to Cardinal Health, Dr. Deshpanday held positions at aaiPharma, TheraTech, Inc., and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Deshpanday received both his B.S. and Masters in Pharmacy from Gujarat University in India, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of South Carolina.

"We have made significant progress over the past year advancing our clinical pipeline," said Keizo Koya, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Drug Development at Synta. "Ninad's expertise in manufacturing, formulation, and product development, and his experience with multiple investigational new drug submissions and new drug applications will be invaluable to Synta as we continue to advance our pipeline to commercial readiness."

Patricia McCall, Vice President, Human Resources

Ms. McCall brings to Synta nearly 25 years experience as a human resources executive. Most recently, Ms. McCall held the position of Vice President, Human Resources for ACMI Corporation, a 1,000-employee medical device firm, where she led the human resource related efforts to transform that organization into a growth company. Ms. McCall also served as International Human Resource Director for Energia Global International. Prior to that, Ms. McCall spent 19 years with Hewlett-Packard's Healthcare Solutions Group in areas of increasing responsibility including Human Resources Director. Ms. McCall received her B.S. in Business Administration from Emmanuel College in Boston.

"Tricia joins our team at a crucial time in Synta's growth," said Safi Bahcall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Synta. "Her extensive experience in all aspects of strategic and operational human resources management will be important as we transition from a discovery-focused and early clinical operation, to a fully integrated, commercial drug development company. Tricia will lead the effort to preserve the spirit of our core values and guiding principles as we grow -- our focus on quality of science, speed of execution, and passion for improving the lives of patients. In addition, she will be continuing our mission of attracting and developing the world-class talent and expertise we need to achieve our goals."

Cynthia Clayton, Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Ms. Clayton joins Synta from Millennium Pharmaceuticals where she was the Senior Manager, Investor and Corporate Communications. At Millennium, she worked as part of an award-winning team driving the communications initiatives of an established, product-driven biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Millennium, Ms. Clayton served as Manager, Corporate Communications for Curis, an earlier-stage biotechnology company that underwent a three-way merger to emerge as a public company. Ms. Clayton earned her B.A. in Communications from the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

"This is a very exciting and critical time for Synta as we continue to grow and add key functions company-wide," said John McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer at Synta. "Cynthia's combined set of experiences will be an important asset to the team as we begin to reach out to the audiences interested in learning more about Synta's differentiated business strategy, exciting and diverse clinical programs, and compelling career opportunities."

About Synta

Synta Pharmaceuticals is an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing products for extending and enhancing the lives of patients with severe medical conditions. Synta has a diverse pipeline of first-in-class, small-molecule drug candidates for the treatment of major immune disorders and cancers, with two lead products in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. All clinical candidates were developed internally, and Synta fully owns all rights in all indications and markets. Synta developed as a buyout of the U.S. subsidiary of a large Japanese pharmaceutical company in 2002 and, as a result, has an experienced and fully-integrated drug discovery and development operation. Synta has raised over $128 million in private financing in the last three years to support its plans. For more information, please see www.syntapharma.com.