POZEN Reports Superior Platelet Inhibition of PA32540 Regimen Over a Standard of Care Regimen in a Phase 1 Study ("Co-Rx”)

POZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: POZN), a pharmaceutical company committed to transforming medicine that transforms lives, announced today positive top-line results of a Phase 1 study of PA32540, a novel coordinated-delivery tablet of enteric-coated (EC) aspirin (325 mg) and immediate-release (IR) omeprazole (40 mg). The data from the Co-Rx Study (pronounced "Co-Rex”) suggest that PA32540 given in conjunction with clopidogrel, dosed at least 10 hours apart, resulted in significantly better inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation (anti-clotting) when compared to a current standard of care (81 mg of EC aspirin, EC omeprazole 40 mg and clopidogrel). Additional data from this study are expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting.

"The findings suggest that the dual antiplatelet regimen of clopidogrel plus PA32540, that contains IR omeprazole, results in an approximate 20% improvement in the anti-clotting effects compared to a current clinical standard of care dual antiplatelet regimen,” said John G. Fort, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of POZEN and co-investigator for the study. "Although the clinical significance of these results is presently unknown, we continue to believe that PA32540 offers a promising potential option for the secondary prevention of heart attacks and strokes in cardiovascular patients who require aspirin therapy, but are at risk for gastric ulcers.”

PA32540, an investigational coordinated-delivery tablet of immediate-release omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), layered around pH-sensitive aspirin, is being investigated for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients at risk for aspirin-associated gastric ulcers. This investigational product is part of POZEN’s pipeline of integrated aspirin therapies, called the PA product portfolio.

About the Co-Rx Study

The Co-Rx study was a Phase 1, randomized, open-label, two-arm crossover study in which 30 healthy subjects were treated with one of the following: A) PA32540 in the morning plus Plavix^®* (clopidogrel) (300 mg) over 10 hours later on day 1, and PA32540 in the morning plus clopidogrel (75 mg) 10 hours later on days two through seven; B) enteric-coated aspirin (81 mg) plus clopidogrel (300 mg) plus Prilosec^®* (EC omeprazole) (40 mg) all in the morning on day 1 followed by enteric-coated aspirin (81 mg) plus clopidogrel (75 mg) plus EC omeprazole (40 mg) all in the morning on days two through seven. Subjects were first randomized to treatment A or treatment B and then crossed over to the alternate treatment. Each treatment was separated by a 14 day washout period.

The primary objective of the study was to assess the effects of PA32540 and EC omeprazole (40 mg) on clopidogrel activity as measured by ex-vivo platelet aggregation using 20 uM adenosine diphosphate (ADP), a commonly used platelet assay of clopidogrel effect.

The primary endpoint was the percent inhibition of platelet aggregation (IPA) after morning dosing on day seven of each period. In the study, PA32540 in the morning, plus clopidogrel 10 hours later, resulted in a significantly greater IPA than enteric-coated aspirin (81 mg) plus EC omeprazole (40 mg) plus clopidogrel all dosed in the morning.

* Plavix^® is a registered trademark of Sanofi Aventis Corporation; Prilosec^® is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca AB group of companies.

About PA

POZEN is creating a pipeline of integrated aspirin therapies, called the PA product portfolio. The products in the PA portfolio are intended to significantly reduce gastrointestinal (GI) ulcers and other GI complications compared to taking aspirin alone.

The first candidate is PA32540. It is a coordinated-delivery tablet combining immediate release omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), layered around pH-sensitive aspirin. This novel, patented product is administered orally once a day and will be indicated for use for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients at risk for aspirin-induced ulcers. POZEN has completed enrollment for the long-term safety study and continues enrollment on the two pivotal studies, targeting a New Drug Application (NDA) filing in 2012.

Additionally, POZEN is conducting exploratory work on integrated aspirin therapies for other pain and pain-related conditions.

About Antiplatelet Therapy

Aspirin has become the standard of care for the reduction of an individual’s risk of a second heart attack. Clinical studies have found that a daily aspirin regimen for people who have experienced a previous heart attack reduces the risk of a second heart attack by about one-third. Clopidogrel and aspirin are currently co-prescribed in some cardiovascular patients; however, the use of clopidogrel plus aspirin increases the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in certain patients. These at-risk patients may benefit from the use of gastro-protective agents such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), including omeprazole. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified the clopidogrel and omeprazole labels to include warnings against co-prescribing omeprazole and clopidogrel, based on ex-vivo platelet aggregation studies.

About POZEN

POZEN Inc. is a progressive pharmaceutical company that is transforming how the healthcare industry addresses unmet medical needs. By utilizing a unique in-source model and focusing on integrated therapies, POZEN has successfully developed and obtained FDA approval of two self-invented products in two years – something almost no other small pharmaceutical company has done. Funded by these two milestone/royalty streams, POZEN is now creating a portfolio of cost-effective, evidence based integrated aspirin therapies designed to enable the full power of aspirin by reducing its GI toxicity. The lead candidate, PA32540, is being investigated for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients at risk for aspirin-induced ulcers and has entered Phase 3 clinical trials. POZEN is retaining commercial control of the pipeline assets and will develop a 21^st century sales and marketing organization using a new sales force model and digital communications. The Company's common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "POZN". For more detailed company information, including copies of this and other press releases, please visit: www.pozen.com.

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