DARA BIOSCIENCES INC 
By RALEIGH, NC -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/14 -- DARA BioSciences, Inc.(NASDAQ: DARA) , an oncology supportive care pharmaceutical company dedicated to providing health care professionals a synergistic portfolio of medicines to help cancer patients adhere to their therapy and manage side effects arising from their cancer treatment, announced today that the Company has implemented its new "No Coupon, No Co-pay, No Hassles" retail patient saving program in support of its flagship products, Gelclair and Soltamox.
The new DARA program is meant to reduce or eliminate financial outlays by offsetting patient out-of-pocket co-pay expenses and will be applied automatically to qualified prescriptions at more than 43,000 pharmacies nationwide. Additional paperwork, coupons or electronic input is not required by patients, health care providers, or pharmacists to realize the benefit of the "No Coupon, No Co-Pay, No Hassles" program. This program which became effective in May is now available in over 95% of local retail pharmacies nationwide, accepted at the vast majority of national retail pharmacy chains and will assist in capturing more prescriptions written for DARA's flagship products, Gelclair and Soltamox.
DARA will begin immediate promotion of this program through both its sales force and direct to physician marketing initiatives. The "No Coupon, No Co-pay, No Hassles" program will apply to all qualified prescriptions, providing the majority of patients with a zero dollar out-of-pocket cost for both Soltamox and Gelclair.
Chris Clement, President and COO of DARA BioSciences, stated, "Implementing this program simplifies the process for patients to gain access to our products. It will provide a new opportunity to capture the demand we believe exists in the marketplace and increase qualified prescriptions written for and fulfilled for both products. Patients will benefit from cost-effective access to Soltamox and Gelclair, which we hope in turn increases brand loyalty amongst patients and health care providers."
About DARA BioSciences, Inc.
DARA BioSciences Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina, is an oncology supportive care pharmaceutical company dedicated to providing healthcare professionals a synergistic portfolio of medicines to help cancer patients adhere to their therapy and manage side effects arising from their cancer treatments.
DARA holds exclusive U.S. marketing rights to Soltamox® (tamoxifen citrate) oral solution, the only liquid form of tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is indicated for the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS); as adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast cancer; in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer; and for breast cancer risk reduction in high risk women. Currently, there are more than 1.8 million prescriptions of tamoxifen written on an annual basis in the United States. Between 30 and 70 percent of patients fail to complete their prescribed course of treatment, thereby diminishing its benefits in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Tamoxifen Important Safety Information
Tamoxifen citrate is contraindicated in women who require concomitant coumadin-type anticoagulant therapy, in women with a history of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus, and in women with known hypersensitivity to the drug or any of its ingredients.
Serious and life-threatening events associated with tamoxifen in the risk reduction setting (women at high risk for cancer and women with DCIS) include uterine malignancies, stroke and pulmonary embolism.
The most common adverse reactions to tamoxifen treatment are (incidence greater than or equal to 20%) hot flashes, fluid retention, vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding, vasodilatation, nausea, irregular menses, weight loss, and musculoskeletal events.
Tamoxifen carries the following Black Box Warning:
| WARNING -- For Women with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) and Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer: Serious and life-threatening events associated with tamoxifen in the risk reduction setting (women at high risk for cancer and women with DCIS) include uterine malignancies, stroke and pulmonary embolism. Incidence rates for these events were estimated from the NSABP P-1 trial (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Clinical Studies, Reduction in Breast Cancer Incidence In High Risk Women). Uterine malignancies consist of both endometrial adenocarcinoma (incidence rate per 1,000 women-years of 2.20 for tamoxifen vs. 0.71 for placebo) and uterine sarcoma (incidence rate per 1,000 women-years of 0.17 for tamoxifen vs. 0.0 for placebo)*. For stroke, the incidence rate per 1,000 women-years was 1.43 for tamoxifen vs. 1.00 for placebo**. For pulmonary embolism, the incidence rate per 1,000 women-years was 0.75 for tamoxifen versus 0.25 for placebo**. Some of the strokes, pulmonary emboli, and uterine malignancies were fatal. Health care providers should discuss the potential benefits versus the potential risks of these serious events with women at high risk of breast cancer and women with DCIS considering tamoxifen to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. The benefits of tamoxifen outweigh its risks in women already diagnosed with breast cancer. |
| *Updated long-term follow-up data (median length of follow-up is 6.9 years) from NSABP P-1 study. See WARNINGS, Effects on the Uterus-Endometrial Cancer and Uterine Sarcoma in Prescribing Information. **See Table 3 under CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Clinical Studies in Prescribing Information. |
The full Prescribing Information for Soltamox is available at www.soltamox.com/prescribing-information.
Gelclair® is an alcohol-free bioadherent oral rinse gel for rapid and effective relief of pain associated with oral mucositis caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Gelclair should not be used by patients with a known or suspected hypersensitivity to the product or any of its ingredients. DARA licensed the U.S. rights to Soltamox from UK-based Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., and Gelclair from the Helsinn Group in Switzerland. Under an agreement with Innocutis, DARA also markets Bionect® (hyaluronic acid sodium salt, 0.2%) a topical treatment for skin irritation and burns associated with radiation therapy, in U.S. oncology/radiology markets. Bionect should not be used by patients with known hypersensitivity to any of its ingredients. For further information on Gelclair and Bionect and the Full Prescribing Information please visit www.Gelclair.com and www.Bionect.com.
DARA is focused on expanding its portfolio of oncology supportive care products in the United States, via in-licensing and/or partnering of complementary late-stage and approved products. In addition, the company wishes to identify a strategic partner for the clinical development of KRN5500, currently in Phase 2 for the treatment of chronic, treatment refractory, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CCIPN). The FDA has designated KRN5500 as a Fast Track Drug, and has granted DARA Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of painful, chronic chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy that is refractory to conventional analgesics (CCIPN).
In early 2014, DARA kicked off its new partnership with Alamo Pharma Services, a subsidiary of Mission Pharmacal, in deploying a dedicated 20-person national sales team in the U.S. oncology market. In addition to promoting DARA's products Soltamox, Gelclair and Bionect, this specialized oncology supportive care sales team also provides clinicians with access to three Mission Pharmacal products: Ferralet® 90 (for anemia), BINOSTO® (alendronate sodium effervescent tablet indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis), and Aquoral® (for chemotherapy/radiation therapy-induced dry mouth).
Important Safety Information and full Prescribing Information for Mission Pharmacal's products may be found at: www.Ferralet.com, www.Binosto.com, and www.Aquoral.com.
For more information please visit our web site at www.darabio.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements herein with respect to the implementation our "No Coupon, No Co-pay, No Hassles" program, the intended effects of the program, our ability to increase the availability and distribution of our Gelclair product, the expected effect of the program on demand for our Soltamox and Gelclair products and our ability to increase sales of our Soltamox and Gelclair products through the implementation of the program. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from those projected in forward-looking statements include the "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and in our other periodic filings with the SEC.
All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We have no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Media Contact:
David Connolly
LaVoieHealthSciences
617-374-8800, Ext. 108
dconnolly@lavoiegroup.com
Corporate Contact:
Jim Polson
FTI Consulting
312 553 6730
Jim.polson@fticonsulting.com
Source: DARA BioSciences, Inc.
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