New Hires Further Strengthen Corporate Development,Commercialization and Drug Development Capabilities

Lexington, MA- May 11, 2006- Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced two appointments to its senior management team. Martin D. Williams has been named Synta's vice president of business and commercial development and chief business officer, and Suresh R. Babu, Ph.D., has joined the company as vice president of drug product development.

"With multiple clinical programs underway and a productive discovery engine continually generating new product candidates, the impressive industry experience of both Mr. Williams and Dr. Babu comes at an important time for Synta," said Safi Bahcall, Ph.D., president and CEO of Synta. "Martin's broad experience in global pharmaceutical commercialization and his strategic partnering expertise and track record are particularly relevant to Synta's portfolio-based strategy. Suresh brings us invaluable hands-on experience and knowledge in all aspects of drug formulation and delivery, and we look forward to his many contributions across our drug discovery and development pipeline."

Martin Williams'20 years of broad-based biopharmaceutical industry development and commercialization experience includes positions of increasing responsibility in corporate development, international marketing, sales management and product development. Prior to joining Synta, Mr. Williams was head of corporate development for Altus Pharmaceuticals, where he led all strategic partnering activities. Before joining Altus, he was senior vice president, corporate development and marketing at Oscient Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, Mr. Williams directed the development, commercialization and launch of several flagship brands for Glaxo, Hoffmann-La Roche and Wyeth. He holds a B.A. degree in biology from the University of Humberside, England, an M.S. degree from the University of Manchester, England, and an M.B.A. from the HarvardBusinessSchool.

Dr. Suresh Babu brings to Synta two decades of pharmaceutical industry experience as a bench scientist and R&D senior manager in drug formulation and delivery. His expertise spans all stages of the drug discovery and development process, including enabling dosage forms, pre- and reformulation, novel drug delivery technologies and the development of immediate and controlled release dosage forms. Prior to joining Synta, he was responsible for all drug discovery formulation programs in Pfizer's Global R&D organization. Previously, Dr. Babu identified and implemented new technologies for drug delivery at Johnson & Johnson. He earned his B.S. in Pharmacy degree at the University of Bangalore in India, and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics at the University of Connecticut.

Synta's most advanced compound, STA-5326, is a novel, orally administered, small molecule drug candidate that selectively and potently inhibits the production of the IL-12 protein family, which plays a central role in chronic inflammatory diseases. It is currently in clinical development for Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

About Synta

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to extend and enhance the lives of patients with severe medical conditions, including chronic inflammatory disease and cancer. Synta currently has three drug candidates in human clinical trials, as well as a diverse pipeline of internally developed discovery programs. For more information, please see http://www.syntapharma.com/.