Santarus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNTS) today announced the completion of enrollment in the CONTRIBUTE clinical study designed to evaluate the incremental benefit of adding UCERIS® (budesonide) extended release 9 mg tablets to oral aminosalicylate (5-ASA) therapy for the induction of clinical remission in adult patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. UCERIS is currently approved in the U.S. for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

A total of 509 patients were enrolled in the CONTRIBUTE study, a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial. The primary endpoint of the study is clinical remission, defined as a score of 0 for both rectal bleeding and stool frequency on the Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI) scale. All patients were randomized to either the UCERIS or placebo arm and will continue their existing background 5-ASA regimen during the 8 week study.

"We believe the data from this combination study will provide valuable information for physicians who treat patients with active ulcerative colitis," said Wendell Wierenga, Ph.D., executive vice president of research and development. "We expect to have top-line data from the study available by year-end, and plan to release expanded study results at an appropriate medical meeting in 2014."

UCERIS Indication and Usage

UCERIS is a prescription corticosteroid medicine used to help get mild to moderate ulcerative colitis under control.

Dosage and Administration

UCERIS is taken once daily in the morning with or without food for up to 8 weeks.

Important Safety Information

  • Do not take UCERIS if you are allergic to budesonide or any of the ingredients in UCERIS.
  • Before you take UCERIS, tell your doctor if you have liver problems, are planning to have surgery, have chickenpox or measles or have recently been near someone with chickenpox or measles, have or had a family history of diabetes, cataracts or glaucoma, have high blood pressure (hypertension), decreased bone mineral density (osteoporosis), stomach ulcers, any other medical condition, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeed or plan to breastfeed.
  • Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter vitamins and herbal supplements. UCERIS and other medicines may affect each other causing side effects.
  • Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking UCERIS because these can increase the level of UCERIS in your blood.
  • Long-time use of UCERIS can cause you to have too much glucocorticosteroid medicine in your blood (hypercorticism). Tell your doctor if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of hypercorticism: acne, bruise easily, rounding of your face (moon face), ankle swelling, thicker or more hair on your body and face, a fatty pad or hump between your shoulders (buffalo hump), or pink or purple stretch marks on the skin of your abdomen, thighs, breasts, and arms.
  • When UCERIS is taken for a long period of time, the adrenal glands do not make enough steroid hormones. Tell your doctor if you are under stress or have any symptoms of adrenal suppression during treatment with UCERIS, including tiredness, weakness, nausea and vomiting, and low blood pressure.
  • UCERIS weakens your immune system. Taking medicines that weaken your immune system makes you more likely to get infections. Avoid contact with people who have contagious diseases such as chickenpox or measles while taking UCERIS. Tell your doctor about any signs or symptoms of infection, including fever, pain, aches, chills, feeling tired, or nausea and vomiting.
  • If you take certain other corticosteroid medicines to treat allergies (e.g., eczema, rhinitis), switching to UCERIS may cause your allergies to come back. Tell your doctor if any of your allergies become worse while taking UCERIS.
  • The most common side effects with UCERIS are headache, nausea, decreased blood cortisol levels, stomach-area pain, tiredness, stomach or intestinal gas, bloating, acne, urinary tract infection, joint pain, and constipation.

UCERIS is available by prescription only. For additional information, talk to your doctor and see Full Prescribing Information including Patient Labeling, which is available at www.santarus.com or by contacting Santarus at (888) 778-0887.

About Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease that produces inflammation and ulcers along the inside of the colon, which can interfere with the normal function of the colon. The disease typically starts to manifest in patients as young adults. Ulcerative colitis is an intermittent disease with periods of exacerbated symptoms, or flares, and periods that are relatively symptom-free. Although the symptoms of ulcerative colitis may resolve without treatment, the disease usually requires medication to go into remission. According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, as many as 700,000 people in the U.S. suffer from ulcerative colitis.

About Santarus

Santarus, Inc. is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing proprietary products that address the needs of patients treated by physician specialists. The company's current commercial efforts are focused on five products. UCERIS® (budesonide) extended release tablets for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis and ZEGERID® (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) for the treatment of certain upper gastrointestinal disorders are promoted to gastroenterologists. GLUMETZA® (metformin hydrochloride extended release tablets) and CYCLOSET® (bromocriptine mesylate) tablets, which are indicated as adjuncts to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes, and FENOGLIDE® (fenofibrate) tablets, which is indicated as an adjunct to diet to reduce high cholesterol, are promoted to endocrinologists and other physicians who treat patients with type 2 diabetes. Full prescribing and safety information for Santarus' products is available at www.santarus.com or by contacting Santarus at 1-888-778-0887.

Santarus' product development pipeline includes the investigational drug RUCONEST® (recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor). A Biologics License Application for RUCONEST for the treatment of acute angioedema attacks in patients with hereditary angioedema is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with a response expected in April 2014. Santarus is also developing rifamycin SV MMX®, which is in Phase III clinical testing for treatment of travelers' diarrhea. In addition, the company has completed a Phase I clinical program with SAN-300, an investigational monoclonal antibody. More information about Santarus is available at www.santarus.com.

Santarus cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Santarus that any of its plans or objectives will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Santarus' business, including, without limitation: unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of Santarus' products and product candidates; the scope and validity of patent protection for Santarus' products and product candidates; and other difficulties or delays relating to the development, testing, manufacturing and marketing of, and obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for, Santarus' products and product candidates; and other risks detailed in Santarus' prior press releases as well as in prior public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Santarus undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Santarus®, FENOGLIDE®, UCERIS® and ZEGERID® are registered trademarks of Santarus, Inc. GLUMETZA® is a trademark of Biovail Laboratories International S.r.l. licensed exclusively in the United States to Depomed, Inc. CYCLOSET® is a trademark of VeroScience LLC. MMX® is a trademark of Cosmo Technologies Limited. RUCONEST® is a trademark of Pharming Group N.V.

Company Contact:
Martha L. Hough
VP Finance & Investor Relations
(858) 314-5824
or
Debra P. Crawford
Chief Financial Officer
(858) 314-5708
or
Investor Contact:
Westwicke Partners, LLC
Stefan Loren, Ph.D. (sloren@westwicke.com)
(858) 356-5930
or
Robert Uhl (robert.uhl@westwicke.com)
(858) 356-5932