Inspire Announces Presentations at 2007 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting

Business Wire, May 4, 2007

DURHAM, N.C. -- Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPH) announced today that scientists and collaborators related to Inspire will present information from five abstracts at the 2007 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting to be held May 6-10, 2007 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. These abstracts, which will be presented in poster sessions, are related to three of Inspire's programs, including bacterial conjunctivitis, dry eye and allergy.

Two poster presentations are related to AzaSite([TM]) (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) 1%, a treatment for bacterial conjunctivitis, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

* Development of a Commercial Eye Drop Formulation of Azithromycin

L.M. Bowman, E. Si, J. Pang, M. Friedlaender

Sunday, May 6, 2007, 2:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

* Frequent Dosing With Topical 1% Azithromycin is Effective in Reducing Azithromycin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Colony Counts in a NZW Rabbit Model

K.A. Yates, E.G. Romanowski, R.P. Kowalski, F.S. Mah, Y.J. Gordon

Tuesday, May 8, 2007, 8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Three poster presentations are related to Inspire's development programs in dry eye disease and allergies.

* Effect of Diquafosol on Ocular Surface Health in Dry Eye Disease

R. Brazzell, D.J. Kellerman, A. Schaberg, B.Yerxa, T. Durham

Sunday, May 6, 2007, 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

* A Correlation Between Central Corneal Staining and Visual Function in Patients Diagnosed With Dry Eye

G.W. Ousler, III, K. Brazzell, T. Durham, P. Walker, R.T. Anderson, M.B. Abelson

Sunday, May 6, 2007, 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

* The Pharmacological Properties of Epinastine on Histamine H2 and H4 Receptors

S.C. Wolff, K. Brubaker, R.C. Wright, J.L. Boyer

Monday, May 7, 2007, 3:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

These posters can be downloaded from Inspire's website, www.inspirepharm.com, following the conclusion of the conference. Additional information related to the ARVO conference can be obtained at www.arvo.org.

About Inspire

Inspire is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing prescription pharmaceutical products in disease areas with significant commercial potential and unmet medical needs. Inspire employs a U.S. sales force for the promotion of AzaSite([TM])(azithromycin ophthalmic solution) 1% for bacterial conjunctivitis, Elestat([R]) (epinastine HCI ophthalmic solution) 0.05% for allergic conjunctivitis and Restasis([R]) (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion) 0.05% for dry eye. Inspire is focused on the therapeutic areas of ophthalmology and respiratory/allergy, and is developing products for dry eye, cystic fibrosis, allergic rhinitis and glaucoma. Elestat and Restasis are trademarks owned by Allergan, Inc. AzaSite is a trademark owned by InSite Vision Incorporated. For more information, visit www.inspirepharm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements in this news release relating to management's expectations and beliefs are based on preliminary information and management assumptions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ in material respects, including those relating to product development, revenue, expense and earnings expectations, the seasonality of Elestat, intellectual property rights, adverse litigation developments, adverse developments in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation, competitive products, results and timing of clinical trials, success of marketing efforts, the need for additional research and testing, delays in manufacturing, funding, and the timing and content of decisions made by regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Further information regarding factors that could affect Inspire's results is included in Inspire's filings with the SEC. Inspire undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.