William M. McClements Joins Merrimack Pharmaceuticals as Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 9, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- William M. McClements, a former executive at the Monitor Group, has joined Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MACK) as Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations.

McClements, who began at Merrimack in late 2011, is responsible for building the organizational platform to support Merrimack's continued growth as well as overseeing certain internal corporate functions, including communications, facilities, human resources, and information technology.

"We are delighted to have an executive of Bill's talent and expertise on our team," said Robert Mulroy, Merrimack's President and CEO. "Bill brings deep experience in the management of growth organizations, international expansion, and corporate strategy that complement and deepen our leadership capabilities to support our growth."

McClements joins Merrimack with over 25 years of experience in management consulting and general management. Prior to joining Merrimack he worked at Monitor Group, a leading global strategic advisory firm, where he served as a management consultant, partner and Chief Operating Officer. While at Monitor, McClements developed an expertise in organizational strategy for a team-based global organization. Most recently, he served as an executive at Integreon, a global research and business services company, where he led the development of the company's global workforce.

"Merrimack is a great team with an outstanding track record of innovation.  The work we do is incredibly important to cancer patients and their families," said McClements. "As we grow and build new capabilities it is critical that we maintain the core culture that has driven our success to date.  It is truly a privilege to play a part in making that happen."

McClements received his B.A. from Williams College and his M.B.A from Harvard University. He serves as a board member and advisor to several philanthropic organizations, including New Profit Inc., ACCESS and Be The Change Inc.

About Merrimack

Merrimack is a biopharmaceutical company discovering, developing and preparing to commercialize innovative medicines paired with companion diagnostics for the treatment of serious diseases, with an initial focus on cancer. Merrimack applies Network Biology, its proprietary systems biology-based approach to biomedical research, throughout the research and development process. Merrimack currently has five targeted therapeutic oncology candidates in clinical development.

Forward-looking statements

Any statements in this press release about Merrimack's future expectations, plans and prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Merrimack anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Merrimack may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future; Merrimack specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

CONTACT: Kathleen Petrozzelli Gallagher, Corporate Communications

         Merrimack

         617-441-1043

         kgallagher@merrimackpharma.com



         Betsy StevensonRaymond Stevenson Healthcare Communications

         860-984-1424

         betsy@raymondstevenson.com

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