Cara Therapeutics to Sponsor Symposium and Present Poster at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 32nd Annual Meeting

• Symposium to highlight latest developments in kappa opioid receptor agonists, the future of pain management
• Positive data from human abuse liability study of I.V. CR845 to be presented in poster sessions

SHELTON, Conn., Feb. 18, 2016 -- Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: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 and participate in a satellite symposium titled “Moving Beyond Mu with Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists: Leaving the Baggage Behind” at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 32^nd Annual Meeting, to be held February 18-21, 2016 in Palm Springs, California.

The symposium will focus on the latest developments in kappa opioid receptor agonists, such as CR845, Cara’s first-in-class peripherally selective kappa opioid agonist, which has the potential to be the first Schedule V or non-scheduled opioid for acute pain. 

The symposium details are as follows:

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2016
Time: 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. PT
Location: Primrose Ballroom A, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA
Moderator:

• Joseph Stauffer, D.O., M.B.A., Chief Medical Officer, Cara Therapeutics; Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 

Faculty Panelists:

• Michael J. Brennan, M.D., The Pain Center of Fairfield; Senior Attending Physician, Department of Medicine, Bridgeport Hospital; Associate Director, Chronic Pain and Recovery Program, Silver Hill Hospital
• Lynn R. Webster, M.D., Vice President of Scientific Affairs, PRA Health Sciences

In addition, Dr. Lynn Webster will present a poster detailing data from Cara’s human abuse liability study of I.V. CR845. The poster will be presented in two sessions:

Poster title: “Subjective and Objective Evidence of Low Abuse Potential of the Peripherally Acting Kappa Opioid, CR845, Compared with Pentazocine”
Poster Number: 216, Poster Group 2
Presentation Session I: Welcome Reception with Exhibits and Author-attended Poster Session, Friday, February 19, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PT, in the AAPM Resource Center
Presentation Session II: Break with Exhibits and Author-attended Poster Session, Saturday, February 20, 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. PT, in the AAPM Resource Center

For more information about the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 32^nd Annual Meeting, visit http://www.painmed.org/annualmeeting/.

About CR845

CR845 is a peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonist currently in development for the treatment of acute and chronic pain and 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 both pain intensity and opioid-related side effects. In more than 440 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. Cara initiated its Phase 3 Program of I.V. CR845 for acute pain with a first adaptive pivotal trial in laparoscopic abdominal surgery in 3Q'15.

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.

CORPORATE CONTACT:
Derek Chalmers, Ph.D., D.Sc.
President & CEO 
Cara Therapeutics, Inc. 
203-567-1500

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Annie Starr
6 Degrees
973-415-8838 
[email protected]

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Jesse Baumgartner
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200 
[email protected]