AVANIR Pharmaceuticals Appoints Craig Wheeler to Board Of Directors

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals (AMEX:AVN) announced today that
Craig A. Wheeler has been elected to the company's Board of Directors
to fill a vacancy resulting from the resignation of Dennis J. Carlo,
Ph.D.
   Mr. Wheeler is the President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a
division of the Chiron Corporation, where he is responsible for all
aspects of the division including commercial, research, development,
and manufacturing. Prior to joining Chiron, Mr. Wheeler was a senior
member of The Boston Consulting Group's health care practice and a key
contributor to the firm's practice in hospital strategy, disease
management, and pharmaceutical capabilities. Mr. Wheeler is a board
member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, Inc., and the California
Healthcare Institute (CHI). He also currently serves on the IBM Life
Science Strategic Advisory Council and the Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research's Board of Associates. Mr. Wheeler holds a BS and
an MS degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University, and an
MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where
he majored in marketing and finance.
   "As we welcome Craig to AVANIR's Board of Directors, we also thank
Dr. Carlo for his seven years of service on the Board," said Eric
Brandt, AVANIR's President and CEO. "Craig's experience running all
aspects of biopharmaceutical business as well as his broad industry
relationships will offer valuable counsel as AVANIR grows from a
research-oriented company into a fully integrated pharmaceutical
company."
   AVANIR Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing and
commercializing novel therapeutic products for the treatment of
chronic diseases. AVANIR's product candidates address therapeutic
markets that include central nervous system and cardiovascular
disorders, inflammation, and infectious disease. AVANIR recently
submitted to the FDA its New Drug Application for Neurodex(TM) for the
treatment of pseudobulbar affect. Additionally, AVANIR has initiated a
Phase 3 clinical trial of Neurodex(TM) for the treatment of diabetic
neuropathic pain. AVANIR has active collaborations with two
international pharmaceutical companies, Novartis International
Pharmaceutical Ltd. for the treatment of inflammatory disease, and
AstraZeneca UK Limited for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
The Company's first commercialized product, Abreva(R), is marketed in
North America by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and is the
leading over-the-counter product for the treatment of cold sores.
Further information about AVANIR can be found at www.avanir.com.

   The information contained in this press release, including any
forward-looking statements contained herein, should be reviewed in
conjunction with the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K
and quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other publicly available
information regarding the Company. Copies of such information are
available from the company upon request. Such publicly available
information sets forth many risks and uncertainties related to the
company's business and technology. Forward-looking statements often
contain such words like "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "plan" or
"expect". AVANIR disclaims any intent or obligation to update these
forward-looking statements.