Anesiva Initiates Phase 2 Trial with Adlea(TM) for Pain Relief Following Total Hip Replaceme...( Adlea May Provide Pain Relief Without...),Health

Adlea May Provide Pain Relief Without Opiate-Like Side Effects For Weeks to

Months Following a Single Administration

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Anesiva, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANSV) today announced that the first patient has been treated in a Phase 2 study of the company's compound Adlea(TM) (formerly 4975) for post-operative pain in patients who undergo total hip replacement surgery, also called Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). Adlea is a long-acting, non-opiate analgesic drug candidate designed to provide pain relief for weeks to months after a single local application during the surgical procedure.

"Hip replacement surgery can involve a long recovery time -- sometimes up to six months -- which is frequently accompanied by post-operative pain from the procedure," said John P. McLaughlin, chief executive officer of Anesiva. "We believe Adlea may help alleviate the resulting pain for patients without the troubling side effects that other treatments such as opiates and COX-2 inhibitors can cause. We believe that these benefits can help patients recover faster and complete their rehabilitation more successfully after surgery."

The trial will enroll approximately 160 patients, randomized to receive either a single 15-mg dose of Adlea or placebo instilled into the surgical wound prior to closure. The trial will evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and the ability of Adlea to reduce post-operative pain following total hip replacement surgery.

Anesiva previously announced positive data from a Phase 2 study showing that a single treatment with Adlea in patients undergoing total knee replacement surgeries produced significant reduction in pain on ambu
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