DARA BioSciences Supports Breastcancer.org to Increase

RALEIGH, NC --(Marketwired - October 24, 2014) - 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, today announced it is supporting Breastcancer.org with its Sponsor level commitment to BREASTCANCER.ORG's 5th Annual ROCK the RIBBON Black & White Party . Breastcancer.org is a leading resource for breast health and breast cancer information and support.

"DARA is proud to be affiliated with Breastcancer.org and supports its mission to help women and their loved ones make sense of the complex medical and personal information about breast health and breast cancer," said Christopher G. Clement, President and CEO of DARA BioSciences.

Breastcancer.org provides an invaluable service to cancer patients and their families by publishing online the most up to date research and information regarding breast cancer, giving them important tools to help make informed decisions about their lives. The online resource brings together thousands of patients and family members via an online community.

"We are grateful for DARA's support and its unique commitment to supportive care in helping patients manage the side effects that come with frontline breast cancer therapies," said Rita Lusen, vice president of corporate partnerships and development for Breastcancer.org.

"Supporting Breastcancer.org provides DARA the opportunity to help educate breast cancer patients on the supportive care treatment options available to them," stated DARA Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of the Board David J. Drutz. M.D.

In 2013, the top searched term on breastcancer.org was tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, called SERM for short, which blocks the effects of estrogen in the breast tissue. Estrogen is known to play an important role in driving the growth of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen is indicated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, the reduction of risk of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ, and to reduce breast cancer incidence in high risk women. Currently, more than 1.9 million prescriptions of tamoxifen are written annually in the United States. Between 31 and 60 percent of patients fail to complete their prescribed course of treatment, thereby diminishing its benefits in reducing the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence.

DARA has the exclusive commercial rights to Soltamox ^® (tamoxifen citrate) in the U.S. Soltamox ^® is the only FDA-approved liquid formulation of tamoxifen.

As part of its continued commitment to patients, DARA has instituted a corporate Day of Service program that encourages and enables all employees to spend time participating or volunteering in patient advocacy events. This month, DARA also made a contribution to the North Carolina chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its Light The Night Walk fundraising campaign. For more information on DARA's Community Commitment program, visit: http://www.darabio.com/company-info/community .

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 both Soltamox ^®  (tamoxifen citrate) oral solution and Gelclair ^® . 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%).

Soltamox ^®  (tamoxifen citrate) oral solution, the only liquid form of tamoxifen, is indicated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, the adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and for the reduction of the incidence of breast cancer in women at high risk for breast cancer. Currently, there are more than 1.9 million prescriptions of tamoxifen written on an annual basis in the United States. Between 31 and 60 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 > 20%) hot flashes, fluid retention, vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding, vasodilatation, nausea, irregular menses, weight loss, and musculoskeletal events.

Tamoxifen carries the following Boxed 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 bio adherent 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. 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 .

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 .

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 two separate Orphan Drug Designations for the treatment of multiple myeloma and for the treatment of painful, chronic chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy that is refractory to conventional analgesics (CCIPN).

For more information please visit our web site at  www.darabio.com .