Apricus Bio Announces Pre-Clinical Data Showing Significant Improvement In Solubility And Absorption Of NexACT®-Based Small Molecule Drugs Selected From The Biopharmaceutics Classification System

Apricus Biosciences, Inc., (“Apricus Bio”) (Nasdaq: APRI) today announced data from animal studies showing that the NexACT ^® technology significantly improved the oral delivery of five small molecule drugs tested, with the best improvements up to 20-fold, in terms of improvement in absorption. A total of 10 small molecule therapeutic drugs with known low solubility and/or permeability, according to the Biopharmaceuticals (“BCS”) Classification System, were selected for these studies, and represented the following classes: anti-inflammatory drugs, diuretics, anti-hypertensives, antibiotics, anti-psychotics, anti-Parkinson agents and proton pump inhibitors.

The BCS, developed by Professor Gordon L. Amidon from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan, separates drugs into four quadrants depending on their solubility and permeability. Class 1 drugs are high solubility and high permeability, Class 2 low solubility and high permeability, Class 3 high solubility and low permeability, and Class 4 low solubility and low permeability. In the Apricus Bio studies, the compounds that showed the most improvement when formulated with the NEXACT technology were in Classes 2 and 4, where solubility is a determining factor.

Commenting on today’s news, Dr. Bassam Damaj, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apricus Bio, stated, “Drugs are classified according to their solubility and permeability. This early data shows that the inclusion of NexACT can significantly improve the oral delivery of some small molecules by positively affecting their solubility, which affects absorption. Over time, this could open up exciting new partnership opportunities, especially for promising drug candidates that did not reach, or successfully pass through clinical development, because of poor solubility. Our goal is to make a major breakthrough in the utilization of NexACT to improve and/or enable the delivery of difficult-to-absorb compounds.”

About Apricus Biosciences

Backed by NexMed, USA and Bio-Quant, Inc., its revenue generating CRO business, Apricus Bio has leveraged the flexibility of its proven NexACT ^® drug delivery technology to enable multi-route administration of new and improved compounds across numerous therapeutic classes. Future growth is expected to be driven primarily through out-licensing of this technology for the development and commercialization of such compounds to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, worldwide. Concurrently, the Company is seeking to monetize its existing product pipeline, including its approved drug erectile dysfunction treatment, Vitaros ^®, as well as compounds in development from pre-clinical through Phase 3, currently focused on dermatology, sexual dysfunction and cancer. For further information on Apricus Bio and its subsidiaries, visit http://www.apricusbio.com.

Forward-Looking Statement Safe Harbor

Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: with the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described for a variety of reasons that are outside the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, its ability to replicate pre-clinical study results in subsequent human clinical studies, enter into partnership agreements and successfully execute business plans. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Readers are urged to read the risk factors set forth in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q. Copies of these reports are available from the SEC's website or without charge from the Company.

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