Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Announces Abstract Accepted for Publication

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - April 16, 2010) - WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("WEX" or the "Company") (TSX: WXI) announced today that an abstract has been accepted for publication and a poster presentation at the 13th World Congress on Pain which will be held in Montreal, Canada, between August 29 and September 2, 2010. The World Congress on Pain is presented by the International Association for the Study of Pain and is the world's premier Congress devoted to research and treatment of pain.

The abstract reports interim results from WEX's TEC-006OL trial of Tetrodotoxin (TTX), which is a multicentre, open-label, continuation trial of the efficacy and safety of TTX in patients with inadequately controlled moderate to severe pain associated with cancer. All patients enrolled in the TEC-006OL trial first participated in the TEC-006 trial, which is a multicentre, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of TTX to placebo in approximately 120 patients with moderate to severe inadequately controlled cancer-related pain.

The Company anticipates enrolling the 60 evaluable patients required for the planned interim analysis of TEC-006 by the end of this month. The interim analysis of TEC-006 will be conducted by an independent data monitoring committee, which will make a recommendation on continuing the trial based on a review of the safety and efficacy assessments. This recommendation is expected to be received during the third quarter of 2010.

About TTX

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a highly selective sodium channel blocker derived from the puffer fish. Sodium channels are found on nerves and are involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. Tetrodotoxin targets a subset of sodium channels found on nerves which conduct pain impulses. There are changes to this subset of sodium channels in chronic pain conditions. Tetrodotoxin is extremely potent, and much lower dosages are needed to produce an analgesic effect than with other drugs.

About WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc.

WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. is dedicated to the discovery, development, manufacture and commercialization of innovative drug products to treat pain. The Company's principal business strategy is to derive drugs from naturally occurring toxins and develop proprietary products for the global market.

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