ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNR) Avanir announced that on January 7, 2014, the Company approved the grant of stock options to new employees to purchase a total of 249,800 shares of common stock in the aggregate. The stock options were granted as inducements material to the new employees entering into employment with Avanir, as permitted under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

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Avanir granted to seven new employees an option to purchase shares of Avanir's common stock with an exercise price equal to $3.28, the closing price per share of Avanir's common stock as reported by NASDAQ on January 7, 2014, the date of grant. Each of the options will vest with respect to one-quarter of the underlying shares on the first anniversary of the grant date and then with respect to the remaining shares quarterly thereafter over the following three years, assuming in each case the employee remains continuously employed by Avanir.

About Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing innovative medicines to patients with central nervous system disorders of high unmet medical need. As part of our commitment, we have extensively invested in our pipeline and are dedicated to advancing medicines that can substantially improve the lives of patients and their loved ones. For more information about Avanir, please visit www.avanir.com.

AVANIR® is a trademark or registered trademark of Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

©2014 Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Forward Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements regarding Avanir's plans, potential opportunities, financial or other expectations, projections, goals objectives, milestones, strategies, market growth, timelines, legal matters, product pipeline, clinical studies, product development and the potential benefits of its commercialized products and products under development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the risks and uncertainties associated with Avanir's operating performance and financial position, the market demand for and acceptance of Avanir's products domestically and internationally, research, development and commercialization of new products domestically and internationally, obtaining additional indications, obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals domestically and internationally, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that may change and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the issuance of this press release.

Avanir Investor & Media Contact
Ian Clements, PhD
ir@avanir.com
+1 (949) 389-6700

SOURCE Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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