Cardium Announces Dominique Dawes, Olympic Champion, as Web-Based Spokesperson for New MedPodium Podiatry-Focused Advanced Skin Care Product Line

SAN DIEGO, June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE Amex: CXM) today announced Dominique Dawes, an Olympic champion, as the official web-based spokesperson for the Company's MedPodium podiatry-focused advanced skin care product line.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100614/LA20014)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100614/LA20014)

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20051018/CARDIUMLOGO)

Dominique Dawes is an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games, won three medals and has a permanent place in the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame.  Fans across the nation and around the world remember her as a member of the gold-medal-winning "Magnificent Seven" at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she also won a bronze medal as she wowed the crowd with her stunning performance in the floor exercise, becoming the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal. Dawes is still the only African American gymnast with a gold medal.  She also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 1992 Barcelona Games and made a surprising comeback in the 2000 Sydney Games.  Dawes will be receiving an Olympic bronze medal this summer for the team competition in Sydney, due to the new revelations of the Chinese gymnasts being underage.  Throughout her career, Dominique has won more National Championship medals than any other athlete, male or female, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. One of Dominique’s greatest feats came when she swept all four events and won the All Around title at the 1994 National Championships.

States Dominique Dawes on being the spokesperson for the MedPodium product line, "As an athlete focused on health, fitness and wellness, I am excited to assist Cardium in the launch of their new premium skin care product line and new website."

"We welcome Dominique as the spokesperson for our over-the-counter MedPodium product line," stated Christopher J. Reinhard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cardium.  "MedPodium represents a new line of foot care products to broaden and complement Cardium's Excellagen topical gel product candidate platform, which is currently subject to a pending FDA 510(k) application submission for U.S. marketing clearance for the management of wounds including partial and full thickness wounds, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and surgical and trauma wounds.  The MedPodium podiatry-focused advanced skin care line expands Cardium's product portfolio beyond the Company's current Excellagen product candidate platform that is being developed as an advanced wound care management device for use by health care professionals.  Following our initial product launch, we are planning to broaden our MedPodium line to include aesthetic-based products and other fitness and wellness products."

About MedPodium Advanced Skin Care Product Line

The initial MedPodium podiatric product line, which will carry six products, has been designed to promote foot health and comfort and support preventative care, self examination and early detection of foot ulcers, especially for diabetic patients with lower extremity neuropathy.  The MedPodium product line has been formulated to include blended natural and botanical ingredients, and will have no artificial colors and fragrances. The various products contain exfoliants to promote the release of dead skin cells and stimulate the production of new skin cells, natural vitamin antioxidants, natural medicinals to aid in circulation as well as other nutrient-rich ingredients to promote soft and supple skin.  Daily use of MedPodium's natural cremes and gels are intended to assist self examination and early detection of foot ulcers, which can potentially become a serious and chronic medical problem that can contribute to increased morbidity and mortality, without proper care and early treatment, especially for diabetic patients.  

About Cardium

Cardium is focused on the acquisition and strategic development of new and innovative bio-medical product opportunities and businesses that have the potential to address significant unmet medical needs and definable pathways to commercialization, partnering and other economic monetizations.  Cardium's investment portfolio includes the Tissue Repair Company and Cardium Biologics, medical technology companies primarily focused on the development of innovative therapeutic products for wound healing, bone repair, and cardiovascular indications.  In July 2009, Cardium completed the sale of its InnerCool Therapies medical device business to Royal Philips Electronics, the first asset monetization from the Company's biomedical investment portfolio.  News from Cardium is located at www.cardiumthx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations.  For example, there can be no assurance that  the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will grant marketing clearance of the ExcellagenXL™ and ExcellagenFX™ product candidates or that we can successfully introduce these or additional products into advanced wound care markets; that Excellagen, Excellarate or our other candidates will prove to be sufficiently safe and effective, or that results or trends observed in one clinical study or procedure will be reproduced in subsequent studies or procedures, or that clinical studies even if successful will lead to product advancement or partnering; that the Excellagen or Excellarate product candidate offers the potential for simpler or more cost-effective treatment for physicians and patients than other FDA-approved products that currently are or will be on the market; that the Matrix clinical study program or other human clinical trials can be conducted and completed in an efficient and successful manner; that we can develop a DNA-based orthobiologics product portfolio; that our products or product candidates will not be unfavorably compared to competitive products that may be regarded as safer, more effective, easier to use or less expensive; that FDA or other regulatory clearances or other certifications, or other commercialization efforts will be successful or will effectively enhance our businesses or their market value; that our products or product candidates will prove to be sufficiently safe and effective after introduction into a broader patient population; or that third parties on whom we depend will perform as anticipated.

Actual results may also differ substantially from those described in or contemplated by this press release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in our operations and business environment, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties that are inherent in the development of complex biologics and in the conduct of human clinical trials, including the timing, costs and outcomes of such trials, our ability to obtain necessary funding, regulatory approvals and expected qualifications, our dependence upon proprietary technology, our history of operating losses and accumulated deficits, our reliance on collaborative relationships and critical personnel, and current and future competition, as well as other risks described from time to time in filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.

SOURCE Cardium Therapeutics