AVANIR Pharmaceuticals Hires Randall E. Kaye, M.D. as Vice President of Medical Affairs

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals (AMEX:AVN) announced today that
Randall E. Kaye, M.D. has joined the company in the newly created role
of Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Kaye will focus on providing
leadership and vision to the Medical Affairs area and supporting the
commercialization of new products from a medical, scientific,
regulatory, technical and quality perspective.
   Immediately prior to joining AVANIR, Dr. Kaye was the Vice
President of Medical Affairs for Scios Inc., a division of Johnson &
Johnson, where he built and integrated a Medical Affairs department
consisting of 80 professionals. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson,
Dr. Kaye recruited and managed the Medical Affairs department for
InterMune Inc. Previously, Dr. Kaye served for nearly a decade in a
variety of Medical Affairs and Marketing positions for Pfizer Inc. Dr.
Kaye earned his Doctor of Medicine, Masters in Public Health and
Bachelor of Science degrees at George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. and was a Research Fellow in Allergy and Immunology
at Harvard Medical School.
   "Randall Kaye brings strong Medical Affairs and Marketing
experience to this newly created position at AVANIR," said Eric
Brandt, AVANIR's President and CEO. "His experience and knowledge will
contribute greatly to the implementation of our strategy of building a
Medical Affairs organization that is able to build awareness for an
unmet medical need 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 diseases. AVANIR previously
announced positive results in the second of two required Phase III
clinical trials of Neurodex(TM), an investigational new drug for the
treatment of pseudobulbar affect. Additionally, AVANIR has initiated a
Phase III clinical trial for Neurodex as a potential treatment in
patients with diabetic neuropathic pain, a second indication for
Neurodex. AVANIR has active collaborations with two international
pharmaceutical companies: Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd.
for the treatment of inflammatory disease and AstraZeneca 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.