Aviragen Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Jonas Niaura as Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy

Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVIR), a pharmaceutical company that is developing the next generation of antivirals, today announced the appointment of Jonas Niaura as Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy.

“Jonas brings to Aviragen considerable business development experience in the field of infectious diseases from large pharma and several biotech companies,” commented Joseph Patti, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Aviragen. “As we approach data readouts from our Phase 2b SPIRITUS trial and our Phase 2a BTA585 RSV challenge study, we are excited to welcome Jonas to the Aviragen team to explore our growing number of business development opportunities.”

Prior to joining Aviragen, Mr. Niaura was Head of Search and Evaluation for Infection, Neuroscience, and GI at AstraZeneca. Before joining AstraZeneca, he served as Senior Director of Business Development at AMAG Pharmaceuticals. Earlier, he was Director of Business Development at Achillion Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Niaura holds an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Mr. Niaura commented, "As a leader in the development of antiviral therapies with a robust portfolio of clinical stage programs, Aviragen is an exciting growth story and I look forward to developing and executing value-creating business opportunities."

About Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc.Aviragen Therapeutics is focused on the discovery and development of the next generation of direct-acting antivirals to treat infections that have limited therapeutic options and affect a significant number of patients globally. The Company has three product candidates in active clinical development: These include vapendavir, an oral treatment for human rhinovirus (HRV) upper respiratory infections in moderate-to-severe asthmatics currently being evaluated in the Phase 2b SPIRITUS trial; BTA585, an oral fusion protein inhibitor that has received Fast Track designation by the U.S. FDA, in Phase 2 development for the treatment and prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections; and BTA074, a topical antiviral treatment in Phase 2 development for condyloma caused by human papillomavirus types 6 & 11. For additional information about the Company, please visit www.aviragentherapeutics.com.

Contacts:
Mark Colonnese 						
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc.
[phone]
[e-mail] 		

Beth DelGiacco
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
[phone]
[e-mail]