Transcept Pharmaceuticals Final Voting Results for Special Meeting of Stockholders Provide Strong Support for Current Board of Directors and Tax Benefit Preservation Program

POINT RICHMOND, Calif., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSPT) announced today that, based upon the final vote count certified by the independent inspector of elections for the special meeting of stockholders held December 19, 2013, a substantial majority of Transcept stockholders voted against or abstained from voting on the stockholder proposal to remove certain directors from the Transcept Board of Directors, and the stockholder proposal to eliminate the Transcept Tax Benefit Preservation Plan.

"We are very pleased with the favorable outcome of these results and also for the gratifying level of stockholder support we have received for our strategic plan," stated Glenn A. Oclassen, President and Chief Executive Officer.

About Transcept

Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products to address important therapeutic needs in the field of neuroscience. The company's lead development candidate is TO-2070, a novel, rapidly absorbed treatment for acute migraine incorporating dihydroergotamine (DHE) as the active drug, which Transcept intends to develop through the completion of preclinical safety studies, but not including the initiation of a Phase 1 human pharmacokinetic study. Preclinical data suggest that TO-2070 may offer significant migraine treatment benefits beyond those provided by less convenient and more invasive DHE drug delivery methods, such as injection, liquid nasal sprays or pulmonary inhalation.

The Transcept management team developed Intermezzo®from concept to its approval by theFDAin 2011.Purdueholds commercialization and development rights for Intermezzo in the United States.For further information about Transcept, please visitwww.transcept.com.For information about Intermezzo, please visitwww.MyIntermezzo.com.

Forward looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected expenses, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our pursuit of strategic initiatives to increase stockholder value, including the nature, timing and effect of such strategic initiatives. Transcept may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that Transcept makes, including the following: our ability to identify and reach an agreement with a potential merger partner; achieving acceptance of Intermezzo by physicians, patients and third party payors; our dependence on our collaboration withPurdue; our ability to develop TO-2070; obtaining, maintaining and protecting regulatory exclusivity and intellectual property protection for Intermezzo and TO-2070; and the ability of Transcept to obtain additional funding, if needed, to support its business activities.These and other risks are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Transcept periodic reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future in-licensing, collaborations, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments Transcept may enter into or make. Transcept does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Company Contact:
Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Leone Patterson
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
[phone]
[e-mail]

Investor Contact:
MacKenzie Partners, Inc.

Bob Marese
Executive Vice President
[phone]
[e-mail]

Dan Burch
CEO
[phone]
[e-mail]

SOURCE Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.