NTII Neurobiological Technologies (MM)

Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. Appoints Director of Regulatory Affairs RICHMOND, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTII), a biotechnology company engaged in the business of acquiring and developing central nervous system (CNS) related drug candidates, today announced that it has appointed Karl G. Trass as Director of Regulatory Affairs. Trass, age 45, comes to NTI with twelve years of regulatory affairs experience, including supervising the preparation and filing of both new drug applications and biologics applications, which resulted in four compounds receiving FDA marketing approval. Mr. Trass has extensive experience in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology and cardiovascular, and has had significant regulatory experience outside of the U.S. Most recently, Trass was Director of Regulatory Affairs with Sangamo BioSciences of Richmond, CA. He held the same position at Gilead Sciences in Foster City, CA, and was Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs for Tularik in South San Francisco. Earlier, he was Senior Manager for Regulatory Affairs at Genentech, also in South San Francisco, and Senior Associate for Regulatory Affairs with Syntex of Palo Alto. Trass holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana University where he studied chemistry. Paul Freiman, president and CEO of NTI, said, "Managing the regulatory relationship is a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies, as illustrated by the recent controversy over Vioxx and other COX-2 inhibitors. We expect that Karl's experience and expertise will prove invaluable to NTI as we attempt to develop drugs for the health care market. We expect that Viprinex(TM), a late-stage reperfusion therapy for use in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, will enter Phase III studies in 2005, subject to FDA approval. And XERECEPT(TM), a novel agent for the treatment of brain swelling associated with brain tumors, is currently being evaluated in two pivotal Phase III clinical studies, one of which began in April 2004. Each of these projects will benefit from Karl's presence." Trass said, "The recent news stories revolving around safety concerns with FDA-approved drugs have created an environment in which pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies must be very deliberate and careful in the development and testing of their new drug candidates. For a company like NTI, which now functions internationally, the added responsibilities of meeting varying national requirements makes regulatory affairs especially challenging. I am confident that my background gives me the ability to meet that challenge. I look forward to working with the rest of the NTI team." About Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. is a biotechnology company engaged in the business of acquiring and developing central nervous system (CNS) related drug candidates. The company is focused on therapies for neurological conditions that occur in connection with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, ischemic stroke, neuropathic pain, and brain cancer. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks of failure associated with our product candidates, risks associated with the integration of acquired companies, products, technologies and personnel and risks regarding the integration of new members of our management team, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Actual results may differ materially from those projected. These forward- looking statements represent our judgment as of the date of this release. We disclaim, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. CONTACT: Paul E. Freiman, President & CEO of Neurobiological Technologies, Inc., +1-510-262-1730; or Cheryl Schneider, VP - Investor Relations, or Jeff Myhre, VP - Editorial, both of Porter, Le Vay & Rose, Inc., +1-212-564-4700, for Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. Web site: http://www.ntii.com/

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