Progen Appoints Dr. John Chiplin As Interim Ceo

ABN 82 010 975 612

PO Box 2403 Toowong
Queensland 4066 Australia
Telephone: + 61 7 3842 3333
Facsimile: + 61 7 3720 9624
www.progen-pharma.com

PROGEN APPOINTS DR. JOHN CHIPLIN AS INTERIM CEO

Brisbane, Australia 1 December 2009: Progen Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: PGL; Nasdaq: PGLA)
has appointed current board member Dr. John Chiplin as interim Chief Executive Officer, effective
immediately.
Dr. Chiplin has 25 years experience across the life science and technology industries, most recently as
Managing Director of the ASX listed Australian company Arana Therapeutics.

Progen Chairman Stuart James said Dr. Chiplin's extensive experience in the Australian and
international biotech industries would be an invaluable asset to the company.

"We are very proud to have someone of Dr. Chiplin's calibre lead the Progen team," Mr James said.

"Dr. Chiplin's biotech experience across both the operational and investment aspects of the drug
development process will prove invaluable, with a number of our anti-cancer compounds currently at
vital points in the drug development process.

"Dr. Chiplin shares the board's passion and belief in Progen and its products, and we look forward to
working with him to continue to drive our drug portfolio forward."

Dr. Chiplin became a non executive director of Progen on July 1, 2009, and his re-election as director
was overwhelmingly ratified by shareholders yesterday at the Company's AGM.
He will remain on the board throughout his appointment and will be predominantly based in Brisbane.
The board has also appointed an international search firm to produce a list of suitable permanent CEO
candidates. It is anticipated that the search will take three to six months.
Dr. Chiplin holds a PhD in Biochemistry and is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He was
most recently Managing Director of the ASX listed Australian company Arana Therapeutics, which was
acquired by US-based biopharmaceuticals giant Cephalon in July 2009. Dr. Chiplin also has
international board level experience with companies such as Domantis (US), Cognia (US) and ITI Life
Sciences Group (UK). He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Science Media Inc.






About Progen
Progen Pharmaceuticals Limited is a biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development
and commercialisation of small molecule pharmaceuticals primarily for the treatment of cancer.
Progen has built a focus and strength in anti-cancer drug discovery and development. Progen targets
the multiple mechanisms of cancer across its three technology platforms of angiogenesis, epigenetics
and cell proliferation. Progen has operations in Australia and the United States of America.
www.progen-pharma.com

For more information: Paul
Dixon
Company Secretary
+61 7 3842 3333