Catalyst Pharmaceutical Announces Social Media Pre

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Oct. 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPRX ), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing safe and effective approved medicines targeting orphan neuromuscular and neurological diseases, today announced that it has joined the social media conversation with a company blog and Twitter handle, which can be found at CatalystPharmaBlog.com and @CatalystPharma respectively.

"We are embracing social media to engage with and better understand the patient communities we intend to serve," said Patrick J. McEnany, Chairman and CEO of Catalyst. "We are developing drugs for patients with rare, orphan diseases, and that means we need to go beyond traditional methods of communications to reach and learn from these patients, their families and their care providers."

Catalyst will use these social media channels to foster conversations between Catalyst and the Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) patient community and company stakeholders. Information distributed via the corporate blog and Twitter will provide meaningful updates, valuable information and relevant resources for the LEMS patient community and stakeholders. Catalyst also will use social media to engage with communities as it relates to the pipeline for infantile spasms, complex partial seizures and Tourette syndrome.

A link to our full social media guidelines can be found here .

About Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel prescription drugs targeting rare (orphan) neuromuscular and neurological diseases, including Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS), infantile spasms, and Tourette syndrome. Catalyst's lead candidate, Firdapse™ for the treatment of LEMS, is currently undergoing testing in a global, multi-center, pivotal Phase 3 trial and recently received "Breakthrough Therapy Designation" from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2012, Catalyst licensed Firdapse™ from BioMarin and Catalyst assumed management of the Phase 3 pivotal trial, previously initiated by BioMarin. Firdapse™ is the first and only European approved drug for symptomatic treatment in adults with LEMS.

Catalyst is also developing a potentially safer and more potent vigabatrin analog (designated CPP-115) to treat infantile spasms, and epilepsy, as well as other neurological conditions associated with reduced GABAergic signaling, like post-traumatic stress disorder and Tourette syndrome. CPP-115 has been granted U.S. orphan drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the FDA and has been granted EU orphan medicinal product designation for the treatment of West Syndrome by the European Commission.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause Catalyst's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. A number of factors, including the timing of completion of Catalyst's currently ongoing Phase 3 trial of Firdapse™, whether the Phase 3 trial will be successful, whether the receipt of breakthrough therapy designation for Firdapse™ will expedite the development and review of Firdapse™ by the FDA or the likelihood that the product will be found to be safe and effective, whether an NDA for Firdapse™ will ever be accepted for filing by the FDA, the timing of any such NDA filing or acceptance, whether Catalyst will be the first company to receive an approval for 3,4-DAP, giving it 7-year marketing exclusivity for its product, whether any of Catalyst's product candidates will ever be approved for commercialization or successfully commercialized, and those other factors described in Catalyst's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2012 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), could adversely affect Catalyst. Copies of Catalyst's filings with the SEC are available from the SEC, may be found on Catalyst's website or may be obtained upon request from Catalyst. Catalyst does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.

Media/Investor Contacts: Donna LaVoie or David Connolly LaVoie Group (617) 374-8800 Company Contact: Patrick J. McEnany Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Chief Executive Officer (305) 529-2522