CigRx™ Dietary Supplement Launch In Richmond, Virginia Announced by Star Scientific, Inc.

GLEN ALLEN, Va., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Star Scientific, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIGX) today announced that CigRx™, a dietary supplement developed by the company's Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals subsidiary, has been launched in the greater Richmond, Virginia area. CigRx™, a mint-flavored lozenge that dissolves in the mouth and is swallowed, contains neither nicotine nor tobacco and was developed for adult dependent smokers. CigRx™ temporarily reduces the urge to smoke using a unique combination of dietary ingredients: anatabine is an alkaloid found in plants that are members of the Solinaceae family including tobacco, eggplant, green tomatoes and potatoes. It appears to interact with some of the neurotransmitter cells in the brain in a way that mimics what occurs when a person smokes a cigarette.  Anatabine has been combined with an extract of the leaves of the yerba mate tree to temporarily reduce the urge to light a cigarette in any environment where smoking is prohibited or unacceptable. Yerba mate is a small evergreen tree that is native to South America. Its leaves are used to brew a tea beverage that is consumed by millions of people on that continent, and it recently has become popular in the United States as well.  Those who drink the beverage believe that it provides them a variety of benefits.  This combination of dietary ingredients is intended to temporarily reduce the urge to smoke.

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CigRx™ is being marketed and sold via a direct response campaign that includes an infomercial airing on television stations in the greater Richmond area. The infomercial offers a toll-free number, 1-800-778-2031, through which adult smokers can order the product.  The product website, www.cigrx.com, also includes a shopping cart for CigRx™ purchases as well.  Both the infomercial and the website are directed at educating adult smokers about the alternative that this non-tobacco, non-nicotine product offers.  In conjunction with these initiatives, the company has partnered with InVentiv Health, as was announced in November, 2009.  Rock Creek believes that InVentiv has both expertise and a well-proven track record in launching new products.  

Paul L.  Perito, Chairman and CEO of Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, commented that the company has expended substantial time and effort in the development and testing of CigRx™ prior to launch. "CigRx™ owes its market presence to several individuals: Jonnie Williams, Star's CEO, whose creative focus conceptualized CigRx™, and an experienced medical and scientific team working under Curtis Wright, MD, MPH, Rock Creek Pharma's Senior VP and Clinical Director.  This combination of know-how and very broad clinical experience is the source of great pride for us."  The company also has filed patent applications, which are pending, that relate to the CigRx™ product, as well as to the process for the formulation of one of the dietary ingredients in CigRx™.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "continues," "likely," "may," "opportunity," "potential," "projects," "will," "expects," "plans," "intends" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, whether in the negative or the affirmative. These statements reflect our current beliefs and are based on information currently available to us. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. These risks, uncertainties, factors and contingencies include, without limitation, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives through Star Tobacco and Rock Creek, the uncertainties inherent in the progress of scientific research, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, potential disputes concerning our intellectual property, risks associated with litigation regarding such intellectual property, uncertainties associated with the development, testing and regulatory approvals of our low-TSNA tobacco,  related tobacco  products and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products , market acceptance of our new smokeless tobacco products and nutraceutical  and pharmaceutical products, competition from companies with greater resources than us,  our dependence on key employees and on our prior strategic relationships with Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation in light of its combination with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Inc.

Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. See additional discussion under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2010, and other factors detailed from time to time in the Company's other filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov. All information in this release is current as of this date, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise upon any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About Star Scientific and Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals

Star Scientific, Inc. is a technology-oriented company with a mission to reduce the harm associated with tobacco at every level. It is engaged in the development of dissolvable smokeless tobacco products that deliver fewer carcinogenic toxins, principally through the utilization of the innovative StarCured® tobacco curing technology.   Its subsidiary, Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is involved in the development of nutraceuticals as well as products to address neurological and mood disorders. Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals has scientific and research offices in Gloucester, MA, and a regulatory office in Washington, D.C.  Star Scientific has a Corporate and Sales Office in Glen Allen, VA, an Executive, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs office in Bethesda, MD, and a manufacturing facility in Chase City, VA.  

See Star's website at: http://www.starscientific.com

SOURCE Star Scientific, Inc.