NEW YORK, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Company") (Amex: IMM) is pleased to announce the appointment of leading corporate communications specialist Blythe Weigh Communications (Blythe Weigh) as strategic advisor to the Company (www.blytheweigh.com).

Cecilia Chan, Vice Chairman of Immtech, stated, "We are delighted to have Blythe Weigh join our PR/IR team as we expand our growth opportunities in China and in other key markets."

Founder Tim Blythe has over 25 years of experience in international public relations, spanning media relations, investor relations and government affairs. He will be the lead for Blythe Weigh on the Immtech account.

Mr. Blythe began his career as a press secretary for the British Government in 1982, working for a number of Secretaries of State including Norman Tebbitt, Norman Lamont, Lord Young and Kenneth Clarke. He worked on the privatizations of British Telecom, British Steel, and British Leyland (Rover Group).

In 1988 Mr. Blythe joined the NatWest Group plc where he was head of public relations and was in charge of the bank's reputation around the world. In 1993 he joined Brunswick Group, a specialist financial PR and IR consultancy, where his clients included Astra Zeneca, Barclays Bank and a number of international utilities companies. In 1996, he joined WH Smith Group plc (a client) on their Executive Board as Director of Corporate Affairs.

This was followed by a period at Rolls-Royce Group plc as director of corporate affairs, responsible for global media relations, IR, government relations, staff communications, advertising and managing teams in the UK, USA, Scandinavia, Germany, India and Hong Kong.

In 2004, he returned to consultancy with Beattie Communications. In 2007, Mr. Blythe led the management buy out which launched Blythe Weigh Communications.

Paul Weigh joined Mittal Steel (now Arcelor Mittal) the world's largest steel company, in 1999, spending seven years with that firm. He left as deputy head of corporate communications, after the $42bn merger with Arcelor was successfully completed in 2006.

During his time with Mittal, Mr. Weigh was responsible for coordinating and implementing group communications at the corporate level, including the development of communication strategies to support the Group's expansion into Central and Eastern Europe (acquisitions in Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Macedonia and Bosnia totaling in excess of $5bn), South Africa (acquisition of Iscor), North America ($4.5bn acquisition of ISG), China and India.

About Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat infectious diseases, and is expanding its targeted markets by applying its proprietary pharmaceutical platform to treat other disorders. Immtech has advanced clinical programs that include new oral treatments for pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), malaria, and trypanosomiasis (HAT or African sleeping sickness), and a well-defined, expanding library of compounds targeting drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria, fungal infections, Hepatitis C and other serious diseases. Immtech holds the exclusive worldwide licenses to certain patents, patent applications and technology for products derived from a proprietary pharmaceutical platform. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.immtechpharma.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" regarding Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s business, including the future prospects for PCP. Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements" and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) Immtech's ability to develop commercially viable products; (ii) Immtech's ability to achieve profitability; (iii) Immtech's ability to retain key personnel; (iv) the ability of Immtech's scientists and collaborators to discover new compounds; (v) the availability of additional research grants; (vi) Immtech's ability to obtain regulatory approval of its drug candidates, including PCP; (vii) the success of Immtech's clinical trials; (viii) dependence upon and contractual relationship with partners; (ix) Immtech's ability to manufacture or to contract with a third party to manufacture its drug candidates at a reasonable cost; (x) Immtech's ability to protect its intellectual property; (xi) competition and alternative technologies; (xii) Immtech's ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for any product it commercializes; and (xiii) potential exposure to significant product liability.

Additional risks are discussed in the Company's current filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.