Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Appoints Faheem Hasnain to Its Board of Directors

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SOMX 4.33, +0.15, +3.59%), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Faheem Hasnain as an independent director of the company. The appointment of Mr. Hasnain fills the vacancy in Class II of the company's board of directors, which class is serving a term that expires at the company's annual meeting of stockholders in 2013. The number of company directors stands at eight, with a five-member independent majority.

Mr. Hasnain was president, chief executive officer and a director of Facet Biotech Corporation from December 2008 until its acquisition by Abbott Laboratories in April 2010. Mr. Hasnain was president, chief executive officer and a director of PDL BioPharma, Inc. from October 2008 until Facet Biotech was spun off from PDL BioPharma in December 2008. From October 2004 to September 2008, Mr. Hasnain served at Biogen Idec Inc., most recently as executive vice president in charge of the oncology/rheumatology strategic business unit. Prior to Biogen Idec, Mr. Hasnain was president of Oncology Therapeutics Network, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, from March 2002 to September 2004. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Hasnain served as vice president, global eBusiness, at GlaxoSmithKline and, from 1988 to 2000, he served in key commercial and entrepreneurial roles within GlaxoSmithKline and its predecessor organizations, spanning global eBusiness, international commercial operations, sales and marketing. Mr. Hasnain received a B.H.K. and B.Ed. from the University of Windsor Ontario in Canada.