ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Awarded Grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for the Development of Novel ER-beta Agonists for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

SAN DIEGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:ACAD), a biopharmaceutical companyutilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinicaldevelopment of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders,today announced that it has been awarded a grant from The Michael J. FoxFoundation for the development of novel estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta)agonists for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The grant of up to$830,000 was awarded under the Foundation’s Therapeutics DevelopmentInitiative aimed at supporting preclinical development of Parkinson’sdisease therapies that have the potential for fundamentally alteringdisease course and improving treatment of symptoms above and beyondcurrent standards of care.

“The award by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Researchprovides important recognition for ACADIA’s ER-beta program for thetreatment of Parkinson’s disease and further validates the quality andproductivity of our drug discovery capabilities,” said Uli Hacksell,Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ACADIA. “We remain deeply committed tothe advancement of care in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Inaddition to our ER-beta program, we continue to advance our Phase IIIprogram with pimavanserin for the treatment of Parkinson’s diseasepsychosis.”

“Our staff and reviewers are excited about the potential of ACADIA’sER-beta program to yield a new therapy that could better treat patients’symptoms and potentially affect disease progression,” said Katie Hood,Chief Executive Officer of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We arecommitted to use our capital to keep industry pre-clinical work such asthis moving forward in order to speed it toward clinical testing andpharmacy shelves.”

Studies have shown that estrogen modulates many cerebral functions suchas mental state, mood, cognition, and locomotion, and may slow down thedevelopment and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Estrogen stimulatesboth ER-alpha and ER-beta receptors. ACADIA researchers have identifiednovel and selective ER-beta agonists that may address the motor andnon-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. ACADIA researchers willexamine the efficacy of ER-beta agonists in preclinical models, focusingon neuroprotection, motor performance, cognition and sensorimotorgating. New approaches like ER-beta may pave the way for a noveltreatment of Parkinson’s disease.

About Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive neurological disorderthat is characterized by a number of symptoms including tremors, limbstiffness, slowness of movements, and difficulties with posture andbalance. It is estimated that over 1.5 million people in the UnitedStates suffer from the disease. Parkinson’s disease is more prevalent inpeople over 60 years of age, and the incidence of the disease isexpected to increase as the average age of the population increases.

About ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

ACADIA is a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology tofuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments forcentral nervous system disorders. ACADIA is focused on developing aportfolio of its four most advanced product candidates, includingpimavanserin in Phase III for Parkinson’s disease psychosis, a productcandidate in Phase II for chronic pain and a product candidate in PhaseI for glaucoma, both in collaboration with Allergan, and ACP-106 inIND-track development. All of the product candidates in ACADIA’spipeline emanate from discoveries made using its proprietary drugdiscovery platform. ACADIA maintains a website at www.acadia-pharm.comto which ACADIA regularly posts copies of its press releases as well asadditional information and through which interested parties cansubscribe to receive email alerts.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Founded in 2000, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Researchis dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson’sdisease within the coming decade through an aggressively funded researchagenda. The foundation has funded over $130 million in research to date.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical innature are forward-looking statements. These statements include but arenot limited to statements related to the progress and timing of ACADIA’sdrug discovery and development programs, including clinical trials andthe results therefrom, and the benefits to be derived from ACADIA’sproduct candidates, in each case including pimavanserin and ER-betacompounds, as well as any projected increase in the incidence ofParkinson’s disease as the average age of the population increases.These statements are only predictions based on current information andexpectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actualevents or results may differ materially from those projected in any ofsuch statements due to various factors, including the risks anduncertainties inherent in drug discovery, development andcommercialization, and collaborations with others, and the fact thatpast results of clinical trials may not be indicative of further trialresults. For a discussion of these and other factors, please refer toACADIA’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007as well as other subsequent filings with the Securities and ExchangeCommission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on theseforward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Thiscaution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statementsare qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and ACADIAundertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release toreflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.