BOTHELL, Wash., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SCOLR Pharma, Inc. (NYSE Alternext US: DDD) today reported financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2008. The Company will host a live conference call today, March 11, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). "Last year was an important period for SCOLR Pharma," said President and CEO Bruce S. Morra, Ph.D., M.B.A. "Utilizing our unique CDT(R) platforms, we made significant progress advancing our two primary over-the-counter (OTC) drug candidates, ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine, through clinical development. During the second half of the year, we reported very positive top-line data from the pivotal Phase III trial of our 12 hour CDT 600 mg controlled release (CR) ibuprofen. We are encouraged by the increased interest in our ibuprofen product engendered by this data, leading to a number of new discussions with potential partners both within and outside the US. We remain optimistic that we will be able to reach agreement with suitable partner(s) to commercialize this product. We were also very pleased to report the FDA accepted our Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for our pseudoephedrine formulation for review. The FDA subsequently issued a Complete Response Letter for our pseudoephedrine application, which identified only minor deficiencies in the Chemistry and Manufacturing Controls section of the filing. None of the deficiencies cited by the FDA involve the safety or efficacy of the product and we are actively working to address the questions raised by the FDA and advance our pseudoephedrine product candidate toward approval. "Further, there has been a significant effort within the Company to reduce expenses and closely manage our cash burn," Dr. Morra added. "In 2008, we were able to achieve a substantial decrease in total operating expenses compared with the prior year. In addition, we completed a lease termination and buyout transaction in 2008 under which we received $4.1 million and successfully relocated our corporate headquarters to a better equipped facility. "Our primary focus in 2009 will be the disciplined execution of our development programs, the establishment of new licensing and collaboration agreements, and continued leveraging of the Company's novel drug delivery expertise to create oral drug formulations that address large and growing markets." Year-end 2008 clinical and operational achievements include the following: -- Reported favorable top-line results from our pivotal Phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy of our 12 hour CDT 600 mg (CR) ibuprofen for the OTC market. The trial incorporated the FDA special protocol assessment design elements, met both co-primary as well as key secondary endpoints, (p