Exhibit 99.1
OncoGenex Adds David V. Smith to the Board of Directors
BOTHELL, WA and VANCOUVER, BC — August 10, 2010 — OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI),
announced today that the Company has appointed Mr. David V. Smith to its board of directors. Mr.
Smith brings to the board substantial financial expertise in financial controls, analytics and
process. Having served in executive financial positions for multi-billion dollar life sciences
companies, Mr. Smith also adds deep experience in the design and implementation of strategic growth
plans, including acquisitions. In his role on the board, Mr. Smith joins the audit committee and
nomination and governance committee.
“We continue to attract world-class pharmaceutical leadership to our board of directors as we
position OncoGenex for the next level of corporate growth,” said Scott Cormack, president and chief
executive officer of OncoGenex. “David’s financial and strategic business acumen will serve us
well as we enter the final stages of clinical development for custirsen and seek to maximize the
value of our pipeline programs.”
David V. Smith is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Thoratec Corporation.
Prior to joining Thoratec, David held various financial management positions with Chiron
Corporation over a seven year period, including as vice president and chief financial officer. He
previously served as the vice president, finance and chief financial officer of Anergen, Inc. Prior
to joining Anergen, David held various financial management positions with Genentech, Inc. over a
nine year period, in both the United States and Europe. David earned a bachelor of arts degree in
economics and history from Willamette University and a master of business administration in finance
from Golden Gate University. Previously, David was a member of the board of directors and chair of
the audit committee of Perlegen Sciences, Inc.
About OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals
OncoGenex is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies that address treatment resistance in cancer patients. OncoGenex has a deep oncology pipeline, with each product candidate having a distinct mechanism of action and representing a unique opportunity for cancer drug development. OncoGenex and Teva Pharmaceuticals have entered a global collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize OncoGenex’ lead drug candidate, OGX-011/TV-1011 (custirsen). Custirsen is currently in Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. The companies plan to begin Phase 3 development of custirsen in first-line treatment of advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer in 2011; OGX-427 is in Phase 1 clinical development; SN2310 has completed a Phase 1 clinical trial; and CSP-9222 and OGX-225 are currently in pre-clinical development. More information is available at www.OncoGenex.com.
OncoGenex is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies that address treatment resistance in cancer patients. OncoGenex has a deep oncology pipeline, with each product candidate having a distinct mechanism of action and representing a unique opportunity for cancer drug development. OncoGenex and Teva Pharmaceuticals have entered a global collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize OncoGenex’ lead drug candidate, OGX-011/TV-1011 (custirsen). Custirsen is currently in Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. The companies plan to begin Phase 3 development of custirsen in first-line treatment of advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer in 2011; OGX-427 is in Phase 1 clinical development; SN2310 has completed a Phase 1 clinical trial; and CSP-9222 and OGX-225 are currently in pre-clinical development. More information is available at www.OncoGenex.com.