Akesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:AKES), an emerging diabetes drug-development company, today announced it has named Carl LeBel, Ph.D., as president and chief operating officer. Dr. LeBel has served on Akesis’ board of directors since December 2007. The company stated that current president, Jay Lichter, Ph.D., will retain the position of chief executive officer and add the title of chairman of the board of directors.

“The current level of Company activity around our AKP-020 program for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes requires additional management resources, and we are very pleased that Carl LeBel will now be directly involved in the day-to-day progress of our research studies and trials, along with other business development initiatives,” said Lichter.

Dr. LeBel has more than 18 years of experience as a biopharmaceutical industry executive, including 14 years at Amgen Inc. where he was an executive director for program management and strategic operations. Most recently his responsibilities at Amgen included overseeing global cross-functional program activities for a late-stage development candidate in osteoporosis. He has an extensive background in the area of metabolic diseases, including direct experience in the conduct of clinical trials in diabetes and obesity. Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. LeBel held preclinical development positions at Arthur D. Little Inc. and Alkermes Inc. from 1990 to 1993. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Detroit, a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences/Toxicology from Northeastern University, and was a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences postdoctoral fellow in Community and Environmental Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. He is also a director at Ash Stevens Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical contract manufacturer.

About Akesis Pharmaceuticals

Akesis Pharmaceuticals has a pipeline of innovative oral product candidates for the treatment of diabetes and related metabolic disorders. These product candidates are supported by issued and filed U.S. patents for both prescription and over-the-counter treatments that combine anti-diabetic trace minerals with certain classes of diabetes oral agents. Akesis' product candidates have demonstrated preliminary evidence of efficacy in lowering and controlling blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar control via oral drugs represents a market opportunity in the billions of dollars, as reports indicate that approximately 20 million people suffer from diabetes in the United States alone. More information can be found at www.akesis.com [1].