Cytokinetics Closes $20.0 Million Series B Financing

William J. Rutter, Ph.D. and Stefan Ryser, Ph.D. Appointed to Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 9, 1999

Cytokinetics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology and informatics company focused on cytoskeletal drug discovery and cellular bioinformatics, announced today that it has completed a Series B Preferred Stock financing totaling $20.0 million.

Leading the financing were new investors International Biomedicine Holdings and Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures. Previous institutional investors, Mayfield Fund and Sevin Rosen Funds, and new investors Duke University and New Medical Technologies also participated, as did a distinguished group of individual investors including William J. Rutter, Ph.D., founder and former Chairman of Chiron Corporation. Concurrent with the financing, Cytokinetics has appointed Dr. Rutter and Stefan Ryser, Ph.D., partner of International Biomedicine Management Partners Inc., to the Company's Board of Directors.

"Cytokinetics is pleased to have accomplished this financial milestone with the support of key investors from both the life science and information technology sectors," stated James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D., Cytokinetics' President and CEO. "This commitment from investors in both sectors validates Cytokinetics' position as the lead developer and integrator of cytoskeletal-based drug discovery and cellular bioinformatics technologies. In addition, the associated appointments of Drs. Rutter and Ryser to Cytokinetics' Board of Directors will undoubtedly provide tremendous value to the Company as it continues to execute its business plan."

Dr. Rutter currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Chiron Corporation, which he co-founded in 1981. Prior to Chiron, Dr. Rutter served as the Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Rutter is also a former member of the Board of Directors of Novartis AG, a Swiss life-sciences company. In addition, Dr. Rutter is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Ryser is CEO, Member and Delegate of the Board of International Biomedicine Management Partners Inc. Before his affiliation with International Biomedicine Management Partners Inc., Dr. Ryser was head of the Research Staff of Global Pharmaceutical Research at Roche and, while working at its American affiliate, was responsible for maintaining the scientific liaison between Roche and Genentech. He also served as a member of the Brussels-based Senior Advisory Group of Biotechnology (EuropaBio) and of the joint steering committee of Roche and Millennium Pharmaceuticals.

Commenting on behalf of the new investors and board members, Dr. Ryser said, "Cytokinetics is a new breed of life sciences company that has established a powerful cellular platform with important implications for the identification of novel pharmaceuticals and targets, as well as the generation of informatics-based productivity technologies. The integration of these two technologies also affords an uncommon and expanded business opportunity within the biotechnology sector. We are excited to join their first-rate team in this exciting undertaking."

Founded in 1998, Cytokinetics is dedicated to the discovery of an entirely novel class of therapeutic compounds utilizing the Company's expertise in the newly emerging field of cytoskeletal pharmacology. The cytoskeleton is a complex framework that impacts all aspects of cell function including cell division, cell motility, intracellular transport and regulation of cell polarity and organization. The Company combines its drug discovery effort with its proprietary Cytometrix™ bioinformatics technologies in order to provide a product line of lead development and target validation informatics technologies. The Company is currently pursuing multiple therapeutic programs focused on the identification of novel pharmaceuticals against cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases and is planning an upcoming beta release of Cytometrix™ designed to measure and interpret cellular physiology.

International Biomedicine Management Partners Inc., the management company of the Biomedicine Group, has offices in Basel, Switzerland and San Francisco, California. The investment philosophy of the Biomedicine Group is similar to the R&D portfolio strategy of a large pharmaceutical company. Its partners are Jürgen Drews, M.D., Fritz R. Bühler, M.D., Stefan Ryser, Ph.D. and Mark G. Edwards. More information on IBMP can be found at www.biomedicine.ch.

Vulcan Ventures, Inc. of Bellevue, Washington, was founded by Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, Inc. in 1986 to research and implement his investments. Through Vulcan Ventures, Allen invests in companies that offer products, services or technologies that fit his wired world strategy, including investments in innovative biotechnology companies.

Statements in this news release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There can be no assurance that Cytokinetics will be able to develop or commercialize its products. The actual results may differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the Company's operations and business environment. These risks are more fully described from time to time in disclosures made by the Company.