Adolor Awarded Michael J. Fox Foundation Grant

Adolor Corporation (NasdaqGM:ADLR) today announced that it has been awarded a second round of funding by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) to support the development of selective centrally-acting mu opioid receptor antagonists (CAMORs) for the treatment of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) associated with Parkinson's disease. The $363,400 award will be paid over a period of 18 months.

“The development of new anti-dyskinetic treatments is a priority for The Michael J. Fox Foundation because patients report that dyskinesia is among the most debilitating aspects of Parkinson’s disease,” said Todd Sherer, PhD, Vice President, Research Programs, MJFF. “If successful, our partnership with Adolor could ultimately provide patients an opportunity to more fully benefit from levodopa without the fear of developing a complication that significantly detracts from quality of life.”

"We are delighted that the MJFF is continuing to support our efforts on this important initiative at Adolor, and we look forward to reporting further progress in our next stage of preclinical studies,” said Michael R. Dougherty, President and Chief Executive Officer at Adolor.

In the United States, it is estimated that one million people are living with Parkinson's disease, and about 50,000 new cases are reported annually. Parkinson’s disease belongs to a group of degenerative disorders of the central nervous system known as movement disorders. The disease results from a progressive loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter in the portion of the brain that controls movement. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include muscle rigidity or stiffness, slowing of normal movements, tremors and postural instability. The standard of care for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease is the use of l-DOPA to increase levels of dopamine in the brain. However, within 5 to 10 years of starting on l-DOPA, the majority of patients develop a debilitating side effect known as l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, characterized by erratic, uncontrollable movements often involving the arms and head. Currently, there is no FDA-approved treatment for LID.

Use of Centrally-acting Mu Opioid Receptor Antagonists For LID

Scientific evidence suggests that increased opioid peptide transmission in the basal ganglia might underlie dyskinesia after chronic l-DOPA treatment and that opioid antagonists might be useful as adjuncts to l-DOPA therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Preclinical evaluation of opioid antagonists in non-human primate models of LID suggests that antagonism of the mu opioid receptor may be effective for alleviating these l-DOPA-induced motor complications.

Adolor has discovered a family of novel, selective CAMORs. These compounds have been shown to be highly efficacious, after oral administration, in well-validated, non-human primate preclinical models of LID. The robust antidyskinetic efficacy of these compounds was confirmed by three independent laboratories. Adolor’s CAMORs represent first-in-class compounds with a novel mechanism of action for the potential treatment of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia associated with Parkinson's disease. The MJFF award will help fund ongoing lead compound optimization development efforts.

About Adolor

Adolor Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel prescription gastrointestinal and pain management products.

Adolor's first approved product in the United States is ENTEREG®, which is indicated to accelerate the time to upper and lower gastrointestinal recovery following partial large or small bowel resection surgery with primary anastomosis. ENTEREG is available for short-term use in hospitals registered under the E.A.S.E.® Program. For more information on ENTEREG, including its full prescribing information, visit www.ENTEREG.com. In collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, the Company launched ENTEREG in mid-2008.

The Company's research and development pipeline includes: ADL5945 and ADL7445, novel peripheral mu opiate receptor antagonists undergoing clinical development for chronic opioid-induced constipation; two novel delta opioid receptor agonists, one of which currently is in mid-stage clinical development in collaboration with Pfizer Inc. for neuropathic pain; and several earlier-stage compounds under development for the management of pain and CNS disorders.

For more information, visit www.adolor.com.

About the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000. MJFF is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda. The Foundation has funded over $205 million in research to date.

For more information, visit www.michaeljfox.org.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release, and oral statements made with respect to information contained in this release, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide Adolor's current expectations or forecasts of future events. These may include statements regarding market prospects for ENTEREG; anticipated scientific progress on Adolor's research programs; development of potential pharmaceutical products, including the Company’s CAMOR molecules; prospects for regulatory approvals; and other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts. You may identify some of these forward-looking statements by the use of words in the statements such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe" or other words and terms of similar meaning or that otherwise express contingencies, goals, targets or future development. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements due to general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions affecting the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as more specific risks and uncertainties facing Adolor such as those set forth in its reports on Forms 8-K, 10-Q and 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Adolor urges you to carefully review and consider the disclosures found in its filings which are available at www.sec.gov and from Adolor at www.adolor.com. Given the uncertainties affecting pharmaceutical companies such as Adolor, any or all of these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Therefore, you should not rely on any such factors or forward-looking statements. Adolor undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise the statements made herein or the risk factors that may relate thereto whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

This press release is available on the website http://www.adolor.com.

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