$CARA to Sponsor Symposium and Present Poster at the College

SHELTON, Conn., June 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (CARA), a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain and pruritus by selectively targeting kappa opioid receptors, today announced that it will sponsor a symposium titled “New Analgesic and Abuse Deterrent Approaches: Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists (KORAs)” at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) 77^th Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Leading pain experts will discuss the latest developments in analgesia, including data from Cara’s Phase 2 trial and human abuse liability study of CR845, the Company’s first-in-class peripherally-selective kappa opioid agonist, which has potential to be the only Schedule V or non-scheduled opioid for acute pain.

The symposium details are as follows:

Experts:

• Lynn Webster, M.D., Vice President of Scientific Affairs at PRA International, immediate past president, American Academy of Pain Medicine
• Jack Henningfield, Ph.D., Vice President of Research, Health Policy and Abuse Liability, PinneyAssociates & Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Joseph Stauffer, D.O., M.B.A., Adjunct Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Chief Medical Officer, Cara Therapeutics

Panel Discussant:

• David Heal, Ph.D., Executive Director, RenaSci

In addition, Dr. Stauffer will present a poster titled “Subjective and objective evidence of low abuse potential of the peripherally acting kappa opioid, CR845, compared with pentazocine,” on Thursday, June 18 at 9:00 a.m. MDT in the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom.

For more information about the College on Problems of Drug Dependence 77^th Annual Meeting, visit: https://www.cpdd.org.

About CR845

CR845 is a peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonist currently in development for the treatment of acute and chronic pain and uremic pruritus. In multiple randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trials in patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy or bunionectomy procedures, I.V. CR845 treatment resulted in statistically significant reductions in pain intensity and opioid-related side effects. In over 400 subjects dosed to date, I.V. CR845 was found to be safe and well tolerated, without incurring the dysphoric and psychotomimetic side effects that have been reported with centrally acting (CNS-active) kappa opioid receptor agonists. In a human abuse liability trial, I.V. CR845 met the primary endpoint showing highly statistically significant reductions (p < 0.0001) in scores for “drug liking,” as well as “feeling high,” “overall liking,” and “take drug again” when compared to I.V. pentazocine, a Schedule IV opioid analgesic.

About Cara Therapeutics

Cara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain and pruritus by selectively targeting kappa opioid receptors. Cara is developing a novel and proprietary class of product candidates that target the body’s peripheral nervous system and have demonstrated efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe pain without inducing many of the undesirable side effects typically associated with currently available pain therapeutics.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Jesse Baumgartner
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200
Jesse@sternir.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Annie Starr
6 Degrees
973-415-8838
astarr@6degreespr.com