InterMune Appoints Angus C. Russell to Board of Directors

BRISBANE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) today announced that Angus C. Russell, Chief Executive Officer of Shire plc, has been appointed to InterMune's Board of Directors.  Shire is a leading global biopharmaceutical company focused on meeting the needs of the specialist physician.

"Angus Russell has successfully led Shire's evolution to a leading global biopharmaceutical company with expertise in the development and commercialization of specialty medicines," said Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune.  "We look forward to drawing on his experience as we execute the launch of Esbriet in Europe, prepare to launch Esbriet beyond Europe and advance our other programs targeted on pulmonary and fibrotic diseases."  

Angus Russell has served as Chief Executive Officer at Shire since June 2008.  He is also the Chairman of Shire's Leadership Team and was a lead member of the Shire Management Committee that devised and implemented Shire's long-term, focused business strategy.  Prior to his current role, Mr. Russell was Chief Financial Officer at Shire from 1999 to 2008.  

Previous to joining Shire, Mr. Russell served at ICI, Zeneca, and AstraZeneca for 19 years, most recently as Vice President of Corporate Finance at AstraZeneca PLC.  In that role he was responsible for financial input into merger and acquisition activities, management of tax, legal and finance structure, investor relations, and the management of various financial risks.  Mr. Russell also held a number of positions within Zeneca Group PLC from 1993 until 1999, including Group Treasurer.  He is a chartered accountant, having qualified with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP).

Mr. Russell is a member of the Board of Directors of Shire and also serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of Celtic Pharma Management L.P., a private equity advisement firm.

About InterMune

InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and fibrotic diseases.  In pulmonology, InterMune is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease.  Pirfenidone, the only medicine approved worldwide for IPF, is approved for marketing by InterMune in the EU as Esbriet® and is currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial in the United States.  Pirfenidone is also approved for the treatment of IPF in Japan, where it is marketed by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. under the trade name Pirespa®.  InterMune's research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases.  For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.

Forward-Looking Statements  

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune's judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including statements related to the commercial launch of Esbriet and InterMune's clinical development plans.  All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune's actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune's forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in InterMune's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 9, 2011 and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune's web site at www.intermune.com.

SOURCE InterMune, Inc.