Santarus Announces Issuance Date of Additional U.S. Patent Covering Zegerid Products

Business Wire, July 8, 2008

Notice of Allowance previously announced in April 2008

SAN DIEGO -- Santarus, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNTS), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that its licensor, the University of Missouri, has received an Issue Notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) indicating that U.S. patent application number 10/641,732 will issue on July 15, 2008 as U.S. patent number 7,399,772. The new patent has claims covering methods for treating acid-caused gastrointestinal disorders by administering a solid pharmaceutical composition comprising non-enteric coated omeprazole and certain antacids. A Notice of Allowance was sent by the USPTO in April 2008. The new patent will have a July 2016 expiration date.

"We are pleased to receive notice of the issuance date for this new patent, which we believe further enhances the intellectual property coverage for our immediate-release ZEGERID([R]) (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) Capsules and Powder for Oral Suspension products," said Gerald T. Proehl, president and chief executive officer of Santarus.

Santarus has licensed rights to the 10/641,732 patent application, as well as other patents and pending patent applications, under an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the University of Missouri relating to specific formulations of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with antacids and other buffering agents and methods of using these formulations. With the issuance of this new patent, there will be a total of six issued U.S. patents covering ZEGERID products and several U.S. patent applications are pending. In addition to the U.S. patent coverage, several international patents have been issued, including in Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea, as well as in countries within the European Patent Organization, and several international patent applications are pending.

About Santarus

Santarus, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing proprietary products that address the needs of patients treated by gastroenterologists or primary care physicians. The company's current marketing efforts are primarily focused on ZEGERID Capsules and Powder for Oral Suspension. These products are immediate-release formulations of omeprazole, a widely prescribed PPI. More information about Santarus is available on the company's Web site at www.santarus.com.

Santarus cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Santarus that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Santarus' business, including, without limitation: the scope and validity of patent protection for Santarus' products, including the outcome and duration of the pending patent infringement lawsuits against Par Pharmaceutical, Inc.; other difficulties or delays relating to the development, testing, manufacturing and marketing of, and maintaining regulatory approvals for, Santarus' products; and other risks detailed in Santarus' prior press releases as well as in public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Santarus undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Santarus([R]) and ZEGERID([R]) are trademarks of Santarus, Inc.