HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANTH) today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 60,606,061 shares of its common stock, offered at a price of $0.66 per share. The Company estimates that the gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by Anthera, will be $40.0 million. The offering is expected to close on or about January 30, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, Anthera has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 9,090,909 shares of common stock. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.

Jefferies & Company, Inc. is acting as sole book-running manager in the offering and Leerink Swann LLC is acting as co-manager. Trout Capital LLC has acted as an advisor to the Company.

The securities described above are being offered by the Company pursuant to a shelf registration statement previously filed with, and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering, when available, may be obtained from Jefferies & Company, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by telephone at 877-547-6340, or by email at Prospectus_Department@Jefferies.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Anthera Pharmaceuticals
Anthera Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat serious diseases associated with inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

Safe Harbor Statement
Any statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical matters, including statements that are preceded by, followed by, or that include such words as "estimate," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "goal," "expect," "project," or similar statements, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements about the Company's expectations with respect to its public offering, including statements about the completion and timing of the offering, the expected gross proceeds of the offering and its intended use of proceeds from the offering. Such statements are based on the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties associated with market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the offering, as well as those set forth in the Company's public filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

CONTACT: Bianca Nery of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., bnery@anthera.com or 510.856.5586.

SOURCE Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.