Titan Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Top Line Results in Confirmatory Phase 3 Trial of Probuphine

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - 07/11/11) - Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC.BB:TTNP - News) today announced positive results from its Phase 3 placebo- and active drug-controlled confirmatory clinical study of Probuphine™, evaluating the safety and efficacy of its investigational drug in treating patients with opioid dependence. The study results were clinically meaningful and statistically significant as demonstrated by two primary analyses, which both confirmed the efficacy of Probuphine compared to placebo (p

The study demonstrated the superiority of Probuphine over placebo on the Cumulative Distribution Function of the percentages of opioid-negative urines over the 24-week treatment period (p

The second, FDA requested primary efficacy analysis also demonstrated the superiority of Probuphine over placebo on the Cumulative Distribution Function of the percentages of opioid-negative urines incorporating patient self reported opioid use over the 24-week treatment period (p

Probuphine was shown to be non-inferior to Suboxone in its ability to significantly reduce illicit opioid use over the six-month trial (proportion of negative urine samples = 31% for Probuphine, 33% for Suboxone, [95% Confidence Interval of the mean difference between Probuphine and Suboxone, -10.8, 5.9], using a pre-specified non-inferiority margin of -15%), with the same rates of trial completion (64% for Probuphine; 64% for Suboxone), and a similar safety profile.

Retention in the trial for Probuphine patients (64% completed the study) was superior to placebo patients (26% completed) (p

Consistent with the first controlled trial, the rates of adverse events were low and similar between treatment groups.

The in-office procedures to administer and remove Probuphine and placebo implants were also shown to be well tolerated.

"The executive management and the board of directors are very pleased with the results of this study and would like to thank all the clinical investigators, their staff and the patients for their participation in the trial and ongoing support for the development of Probuphine," said Marc Rubin, M.D., Executive Chairman of Titan. "Just as important has been the support received from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), especially the $7.6 million Research and Research Infrastructure Grand Opportunities grant through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. These positive results should bring Probuphine another step closer to being a meaningful therapeutic alternative to patients with the disease of opioid addiction."The World Health Organization estimates that between 4.6 and 5.2 million individuals in the U.S. and Europe use illicit opioids such as heroin, and more than 2.0 million individuals in the U.S. alone are addicted to prescription opioid medications. It is estimated that more than 1.0 million people in the U.S. and Europe currently receive pharmacological treatment for opioid addiction.About Probuphine
Probuphine is designed to deliver six months of continuous round-the-clock, long-term therapeutic levels of the drug buprenorphine following a single subcutaneous treatment. Buprenorphine, an approved agent for the treatment of opioid addiction, is currently available mainly in the form of sublingual tablet and film formulations. The safety and effectiveness of treatment with Probuphine has been demonstrated in several late-stage and Phase 3 studies conducted to date, including a 163-patient placebo-controlled study which demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant treatment with Probuphine over a 24-week period and was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and a confirmatory study of 287 patients that showed statistically significant efficacy versus placebo and non-inferiority with a currently marketed sublingual formulation of buprenorphine.Probuphine was developed using ProNeura, Titan's continuous drug delivery system that consists of a small, solid rod made from a mixture of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and a drug substance. The resulting product is a solid matrix that is placed subcutaneously, normally in the upper arm in a simple office procedure, and is removed in a similar manner at the end of the treatment period. The drug substance is released slowly, at continuous levels, through the process of diffusion. This results in a constant rate of release similar to intravenous administration.About the Research and Research Infrastructure Grand Opportunities Program
The purpose of the Research and Research Infrastructure Grand Opportunities program is to support high impact ideas and large-scale research projects that accelerate critical breakthroughs, early and applied research on cutting-edge technologies, and new approaches to improve the synergy and interactions among multi and interdisciplinary research teams. This initiative is being offered to help fulfill the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help stimulate the economy through support of biomedical and behavioral research. The ARRA will provide economic stimulus to the nation while furthering the NIH mission to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. For more information on ARRA funding, visit http://grants.nih.gov/recovery. To track the progress of Health and Human Services activities funded through the recovery act, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the recovery act, visit http://www.recovery.govAbout Titan Pharmaceuticals
For information concerning Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., please visit the Company's website at www.titanpharm.com.The press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to the Company's development program and any other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties relating to difficulties or delays in development, testing, regulatory approval, production and marketing of the Company's drug candidates, adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the Company's drug candidates that could slow or prevent product development or commercialization, the uncertainty of patent protection for the Company's intellectual property or trade secrets, and the Company's ability to obtain additional financing. Such statements are based on management's current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including those risks and uncertainties mentioned or referred to in this press release.SUBOXONE® is a registered trademark of Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc.