NeurogesX Phase 3 Study in Post-Herpetic Neuralgia Meets Primary Endpoint



    NeurogesX Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company,
    today announced positive results from a multi-center, double-blind,
    controlled Phase 3 trial of Transacin(TM) (NGX-4010), the Company's
    novel high-concentration trans-capsaicin dermal patch, in patients
    with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The study met its pre-specified
    primary endpoint with patients reporting statistically significant
    pain reduction after a single one-hour application of Transacin,
    (p=0.001). A significant reduction in pain was noted during the first
    week following treatment (p=0.04) and was maintained throughout the
    12-week study period. At 12 weeks, more than one-half of all subjects
    treated with Transacin reported improvement in their condition, as
    measured by the Patient Global Impression of Change scale.

    The study was conducted at 53 clinical sites in the U.S.
    Four-hundred and two patients suffering from PHN were randomized to a
    single, one-hour treatment with Transacin or to a matching,
    low-concentration capsaicin control patch. Study subjects were then
    followed for 12 weeks. Pain was recorded daily by study subjects using
    the Numeric Pain Rating Scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible
    pain).

    "Transacin has the potential to provide an important therapeutic
    alternative to patients suffering from post-herpetic neuralgia, a
    frequent, yet difficult-to-manage neuropathic pain condition that
    affects one in five shingles patients," said Misha-Miroslav Backonja,
    M.D., an investigator in the study and Director of Research and
    Education of the University of Wisconsin Pain Treatment Center in
    Madison, Wisconsin. "There is a great need for new treatments that can
    provide relief to patients with this painful condition."

    "There is a very large unmet medical need in the treatment of
    neuropathic pain, and this is an important step toward providing an
    effective, peripherally acting treatment option," stated Jeffrey
    Tobias, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at NeurogesX. "We are continuing
    to analyze the study results and anticipate presenting the findings at
    a scientific conference early next year."

    "This study is significant validation for Transacin and for
    NeurogesX, and holds promise for many long-suffering patients with
    neuropathic pain. We believe that a peripherally acting therapy
    without the traditional side effects experienced in current therapies
    will be well received both by physicians and their patients," said
    Anthony A. DiTonno, NeurogesX President and CEO. "These data, combined
    with our previously reported positive Phase 3 results with Transacin
    in painful HIV-associated neuropathy (HIV-AN), will form the basis of
    a Marketing Authorization Application for European Union regulatory
    approval in the first half of 2007."

    The Company's current Transacin development plan includes filing a
    New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    including data from its PHN and HIV-AN programs in mid-2008. To
    provide the required data for the NDA, NeurogesX is currently
    enrolling patients in two confirmatory Phase 3 studies, one in PHN at
    sites in the U.S. and Canada, and one in HIV-AN at sites in the U.S.,
    Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

    Additional information about NeurogesX's Phase 3 studies is
    available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00321672?order=6
    and at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00300222?order=1.

    About Transacin (NGX-4010)

    Transacin is a topical, physician-administered patch containing a
    high concentration of trans-capsaicin, a synthetic form of the
    naturally occurring TRPV1 agonist capsaicin. Unlike current treatment
    approaches for neuropathic pain that include opioids and other agents
    - which act on the central nervous system and can cause drowsiness or
    other systemic side effects - the patch is designed to act
    peripherally in the skin, where the pain frequently originates. Due to
    the novel patch delivery system and dermal site of action of
    Transacin, the potential for safety issues or side effects that
    negatively impact quality of life is expected to be low.

    About NeurogesX

    NeurogesX is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company
    focused on the development of novel treatments for the management of
    neuropathic pain. The Company's initial products are focused on the
    treatment of chronic pain in the areas of post-herpetic neuralgia
    (PHN), painful HIV-associated neuropathy (HIV-AN) and painful diabetic
    neuropathy (PDN). NeurogesX intends to file for marketing approval in
    Europe in the first half of 2007 and plans to file an NDA in the U.S.
    in 2008. Additional information about NeurogesX can be found at
    www.neurogesx.com.

    NeurogesX is a trademark of NeurogesX, Inc.