Press Releases

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPRX) (Company) today announced that a scientific paper on CPP-115 describing preclinical data supporting its use as a treatment for cocaine addiction, its pharmacological target specificity, and its visual safety was accepted for publication in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (JMC). The paper, entitled "(1S,3S)-3-Amino-4-difluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic Acid (CPP-115), a Potent y-Aminobutyric Acid Aminotransferase Inactivator for the Treatment of Cocaine Addiction" by Yue Pan, Madina R. Gerasimov, Trine Kvist, Petrine Wellendorph, Karsten K. Madsen, Elena Pera, Hyunbeom Lee, Arne Schousboe, Mary Chebib, Hans Brauner-Osborne, Cheryl M. Craft, Jonathan D. Brodie, Wynne K. Schiffer, Stephen L. Dewey, Stephen R. Miller, and Richard B. Silverman, was recently posted in JMC's web edition.

About The Article

Vigabatrin, a GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT) inactivator, is used to treat infantile spasms and refractory complex partial seizures and is in clinical trials to evaluate its effectiveness in the treatment of cocaine addiction. CPP-115, Catalyst's novel GABA-AT inactivator, was evaluated and it was observed that CPP-115 does not exhibit other GABAergic or off-target activities and is rapidly and completely orally absorbed and eliminated. Using in vivo microdialysis techniques in freely moving rats and micro-PET imaging techniques, CPP-115 produced superior inhibition of cocaine-induced increases in extracellular dopamine and in synaptic dopamine in the nucleus accumbens at 1/300-1/600 the dose of vigabatrin. CPP-115 also blocks expression of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference at a dose that is 1/300 of vigabatrin. Electroretinographic (ERG) responses in rats, treated at doses 20-40 times higher than those needed to treat addiction in rats, exhibited reductions in ERG responses, which were significantly less than the reductions observed in rats treated with vigabatrin at the same dose needed to treat addiction in rats. In conclusion, CPP-115 can be administered at much lower doses than vigabatrin, which suggests a potential new treatment for addiction with a significantly reduced risk of visual field defects.

About The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, an American Chemical Society publication, publishes studies that contribute to an understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and biological activity or mode of action. It is the most-cited journal in Medicinal Chemistry with 52,858 total citations in 2010 and an Impact Factor of 5.207, ranking it also as the #1 primary research journal in impact in the category as reported in the 2010 Journal Citation Reports^® (Thomson Reuters, 2011).

About Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of prescription drugs targeting diseases of the central nervous system with a focus on the treatment of addiction and epilepsy. Catalyst has two products in development, and is currently evaluating its lead product and first-in-class GABA aminotransferase inhibitor candidate, CPP-109 (vigabatrin), for the treatment of cocaine addiction. CPP-109 has been granted "Fast Track" status by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Catalyst also expects to evaluate CPP-109 for the treatment of other addictions. Catalyst is also developing CPP-115, another GABA aminotransferase inhibitor that is more potent than vigabatrin and has reduced side effects (e.g., visual field defects, or VFDs) from those associated with vigabatrin. Catalyst is planning to develop CPP-115 for several indications, including drug addiction, epilepsy (initially infantile spasms) and for other selected central nervous disease indications. CPP-115 has been granted orphan-drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the FDA. Catalyst believes that it controls all current intellectual property for drugs that have a mechanism of action related to the inhibition of GABA aminotransferase. For more information about Catalyst, go to www.catalystpharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. A number of factors, including whether CPP-115 will prove to be an effective treatment for addiction in humans, whether CPP-115 will ultimately prove to have significantly reduced risks of visual field defects compared to vigabatrin, whether CPP-115 will ever be approved for commercialization, and those other factors described in the Company's filings with the SEC, could adversely affect the Company. Copies of the Company's filings with the SEC are available from the SEC, may be found on the Company's website or may be obtained upon request from the Company. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.

CONTACT: Patrick J. McEnanyCatalyst Pharmaceutical Partners

         Chief Executive Officer

         (305) 529-2522

         pmcenany@catalystpharma.com



         Melody CareyRx Communications Group

         Co-President

         (917) 322-2571

         mcarey@rxir.com

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