DiaMedica Appoints Dr. Todd Verdoorn as Chief Scientific Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - DiaMedica Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:DMA)(OTCQB:DMCAF) today announced the appointment of Dr. Todd Verdoorn as the Company's Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. Verdoorn has more than 26 years of experience working with both public and private pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop new treatments for neurological diseases, including five years working with Bristol-Myers Squibb's stroke group and as the former Chief Scientific Officer for several private life sciences companies. Dr. Verdoorn earned his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of North Carolina, conducting his post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute with Nobel Laureate Dr. Bert Sakmann, served as Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and is the author of numerous publications and patents. Dr. Verdoorn was formerly Vice President of Neuroscience with DiaMedica.

"We are delighted to appoint Dr. Verdoorn to the role of Chief Scientific Officer. His significant experience and expertise in drug development will further strengthen our team in advancing our focus of acute ischemic stroke, in addition to pursuing other potential indications and products," said Rick Pauls, President & CEO.

"I am excited for the expanded opportunity to help develop Diamedica's strong pipeline of therapies for poorly treated diseases in neurology and other critical disease areas," said Dr. Verdoorn.

About DiaMedica

DiaMedica is a publicly traded clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for vascular diseases, including stroke and metabolic and kidney dysfunction. DiaMedica's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "DMA" and on the OTCQB under the trading symbol "DMCAF".

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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