When issued, the patent will allow protection through 2021. DARA BioSciences has exclusive licenses with Massachusetts General Hospital and Kirin Pharmaceuticals of Japan for the treatment of pain with Spicamycin derivatives.

DARA currently has a patent estate with ownership, rights and licenses to 71 patents and 58 patent applications worldwide, covering the drug candidates in development plus its extensive libraries.

Earlier this year, DARA successfully completed a clinical proof-of-concept study for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with advanced cancer using KRN5500.

This 14 week, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose escalation study randomized patients to receive treatment with either KRN5500 or placebo (saline equivalent) in doses ranging from 0.6 to 2.2 mg/m(2).

The Primary Endpoint was achieved with demonstrating statistical significance over Placebo (p=0.03) in the median reduction of pain scores from baseline.

The results of this Phase 2 study will be presented as a poster, "KRN5500 Demonstrates Significant Reduction in Neuropathic Pain Intensity in Patients with Cancer" at the 12th International Conference on the Mechanisms and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain to be held in San Francisco, November 19-21, 2009. Sharon M. Weinstein, MD, a leading investigator in the study, will present the poster.

A Notice of Allowance generally completes the substantive examination of a patent application. The normal process which results in final issuance of a United States patent involves several administrative steps that are typically completed in due course following issuance of such a notice.

DARA BioSciences Inc. is a Raleigh, North Carolina based development-stage biopharmaceutical company that acquires promising therapeutic small molecules and develops them through proof of concept in humans for subsequent sale or out-licensing to larger pharmaceutical companies.