Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Marplan(R) (isocarboxazid) - A Highly Effective Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has acquired Marplan(R) (isocarboxazid) from Oxford Pharmaceuticals. Marplan is a long standing, safe and effective drug for patients who suffer the enduring and debilitating symptoms of clinical depression and who have not responded to other antidepressant drugs. Belonging to the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) class of antidepressants, Marplan(R) works by elevating levels of several brain chemicals - neurotransmitters -which, at reduced levels, can cause depression. By blocking the action of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase, Marplan(R) works differently than the commonly-known 'SSRI drugs', which selectively raise the level of one neurotransmitter. Validus has acquired Marplan and will keep this important antidepressant available on the market for the thousands of patients and doctors who rely on its efficacy to control difficult-to-treat depression.

Physicians have turned to Marplan(R) therapy when first-line treatments with SSRIs and other antidepressant drugs fail to control their patients' symptoms of depression. Commonly used clinical protocols also suggest the use of MAOIs as a treatment to try before turning to electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).

"Marplan(R) is an antidepressant with a distinguished track-record in a difficult-to-treat patient population," said James Hunter, Validus Pharmaceuticals' President and CEO. "Its widely recognized clinical value and well known safety profile provide the ideal platform for our entry into the psychiatric marketplace," he added. Validus plans to begin promoting Marplan(R) tablets with a portfolio of customer care services for consumers and health professionals at the American Psychiatric Association Meeting beginning May 19, 2007 in San Diego.

About Validus Pharmaceuticals

Validus Pharmaceuticals is a full service pharmaceutical company, based in Parsippany, NJ. Validus is a portfolio investment of Konanda Pharma Partners, a private equity firm in New York City. Validus' business plan calls for the marketing and support of Marplan(R) as well as the acquisition and marketing of additional new or underutilized products that have important future potential in the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Please log on to the Validus / Marplan(R) website http://www.marplan.com/ for additional information.

About Konanda Pharma Partners

Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a portfolio investment of Konanda Pharma Partners, an investment fund focused on acquiring mature branded drugs and building portfolio companies around such products. See http://www.konanda.com/ for additional information about the Fund's principals and investment objectives.

Please go to the Marplan website http://www.marplan.com/ for Full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNINGS regarding increased risk of suicidality in children and adolescents. MAO-inhibitors are contraindicated with certain drugs, and potential hypertensive crises may occur with tyramine containing foods. As with all antidepressants, patients should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of therapy.