LAVAL, QC, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neurochem Inc. (NASDAQ: NRMX; TSX: NRM) is pleased to announce that Mr. Gary Schmid will join Neurochem, effective February 4, 2008, and will serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the new business Neurochem has announced it is creating to develop and market nutraceuticals. Mr. Schmid joins the Company from Sante Naturelle A.G. Limited, the international manufacturers and marketers of Quebec's market-leading Adrien Gagnon natural health brands. Mr. Schmid joined Sante Naturelle in May 2006 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and CEO later that year. In addition, Mr. Schmid spent 20 years at Abbott Laboratories Ltd. in a variety of positions of ever-increasing responsibility in sales and marketing where, in 2005, he was appointed General Manager, Abbott Nutrition. "We are excited to welcome Mr. Schmid who will lead the team responsible for the commercialization of our first nutraceutical product, homotaurine, developed to enhance memory and cognition. The launch of homotaurine is planned in Canada in the near future, with subsequent commercial activities in other territories expected soon thereafter," said Dr. Francesco Bellini, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurochem. "Mr. Schmid's long track record and world-class marketing credentials will help create a unique, branded nutraceutical product company," he concluded. As President and CEO of Sante Naturelle A.G., Mr. Schmid succeeded in developing and implementing that company's strategies to support future growth expectations, which translated into significantly increasing sales in domestic and export business segments and in the launch of 35 new products within 12 months. Before joining Sante Naturelle, Mr. Schmid held positions with Abbott Laboratories Ltd. (Canada), where he served between 1985 and 2006, initially as a financial analyst with what was to become Abbott's nutrition division, and then rapidly moved into sales and marketing. Following a two-year assignment with Abbott International Ltd. in Chicago, Mr. Schmid returned to Canada in 1994 as National Sales Manager of the future nutrition division, progressed to a series of more responsible positions in marketing, including Marketing Director of Abbott's Pharma Division, before being appointed General Manager, Abbott Nutrition, in 2005. Mr. Schmid is a Commerce graduate of McGill University. About Neurochem Neurochem Inc. is a global health company focused on the research, development and commercialization of products to provide innovative health solutions to patients suffering from serious diseases. To Contact Neurochem For additional information on Neurochem and its drug development programs, please call the North American toll-free number 1-877-680-4500 or visit our Web Site at http://www.neurochem.com/. For Further Information, please contact: Lise Hebert, PhD (450) 680-4572 Vice President, Corporate Communications Certain statements contained in this news release, other than statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, may constitute forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond Neurochem Inc.'s control. Such risks include but are not limited to: the impact of general economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical and/or nutraceutical industry, changes in the regulatory environment in the jurisdictions in which the Neurochem group does business, stock market volatility, fluctuations in costs, and changes to the competitive environment due to consolidation, that actual results may vary once the final and quality-controlled verification of data and analyses has been completed, as well as other risks disclosed in public filings of Neurochem Inc. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance, if any, on any forward-looking statements included in this news release. These statements speak only as of the date made and Neurochem Inc. is under no obligation and disavows any intention to update or revise such statements as a result of any event, circumstances or otherwise. Please see the Annual Information Form of Neurochem Inc. for further risk factors that might affect the Neurochem group and its business. DATASOURCE: NEUROCHEM INC. CONTACT: Lise Hebert, PhD, Vice President, Corporate Communications, (450) 680-4572,

Copyright