Cordex Pharma Presents 'New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicines' on January 29

LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cordex Pharma, Inc.,
formerly known as Duska Therapeutics, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: DSKA)
announced today that it will host a scientific briefing on Thursday, January
29, 2009, at 12:00 p.m. EST in New York City.

The keynote speaker will be Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, the George Barth Geller
Professor for Research in Cardiovascular Diseases and a Professor of Medicine
and of Biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North
Carolina. Dr. Stamler will review his research work at Duke University, which
focuses on the regulatory role of nitric oxide (NO) in the cardiovascular
system. In particular, Dr. Stamler will outline the rationale behind the
development of NO-based therapeutic modality in the management of patients
with heart failure. The risk of sudden cardiac death in heart failure
patients is six to nine times greater than that of the general population.
Heart failure is responsible for 280,000 deaths annually in the US.

Dr. Stamler's presentation will be preceded by a short corporate overview by
Cordex's chief executive officer, James S. Kuo, MD, MBA, and an update by the
Company's chief scientific officer, Amir Pelleg, PhD, on the Company's lead
drug candidate, ATPace, for the treatment and diagnosis of cardiac
arrhythmias. Cordex expects to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial with
ATPace. The Phase 3 protocol is currently under consideration by the FDA
under a Special Protocol Assessment provision.

Cordex's event will be held at the Yale Club in New York City. A buffet lunch
will be provided beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST. Due to meeting room size
limitations, in person attendance is by invitation only. To request an
invitation, please call Redington Inc. at (212) 926-1733.

A webcast of the presentation can be accessed by any registered participants
and will be made available at
http://www.cordexpharma.com/index2_files/investor.htm. Registration for the
webcast begins at 11:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, January 29. Please check in at
least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time at 12:00 p.m. EST to allow for
a short registration process. The webcast will be archived for at least 14
days following the presentation.

"We are pleased to have Dr. Stamler present his group's cutting-edge
cardiovascular research at Duke University and the nitric oxide/redox
imbalance in heart failure as a novel target for drug development," said Dr.
Kuo, chief executive officer of Cordex. "While there are several available
therapies for heart failure, Cordex's investigational drugs, which are based
on proprietary technology developed by Dr. Stamler, are designed to restore
nitric oxide/redox balance in the failing heart and improve
excitation-contraction coupling and cardiac pumping efficiency."

Dr. Stamler completed his undergraduate studies at Brandeis University, earned
his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and completed
his medical residency and fellowship training in both cardiology and pulmonary
medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr.
Stamler joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as Assistant Professor of
Medicine in October 1993. In December 1993, he joined the faculty of Duke
University as an Associate Professor of Medicine, and in 1996, was promoted to
full Professor.

Dr. Stamler's work has centered on elucidating the fundamental physiological
regulatory roles of nitric oxide mediated by S-nitrosylation, a ubiquitous
protein modification. The ramifications of his work extend to all major
classes of proteins: ion channels, receptors, G proteins, transcription
factors, membrane trafficking proteins and numerous enzymes that are now known
to be regulated by S-nitrosylation. Accumulating evidence suggests that many
disease states are associated with aberrant protein S-nitrosylation. Dr.
Stamler's group also identified the enzyme responsible for bioactivation of
nitroglycerin, the ability of red blood cells to dilate blood vessels and a
role for nitric oxide in the human respiratory cycle.

Duke University and Johns Hopkins University has awarded Cordex an exclusive
worldwide license to a portfolio of compounds targeting the redox-NO imbalance
as a new therapeutic modality in the management of patients with heart failure
disease. Dr. Stamler is a scientific consultant to Cordex.

About Cordex Pharma, Inc.
Cordex is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops new cardiovascular
medicines based upon the emerging pharmacology of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
and nitric oxide (NO). These two molecules play critical roles in cellular
metabolism and signal transduction, the manipulation of which constitute novel
therapeutic modalities for the treatment of major cardiovascular disorders.
Cordex is developing a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic products, two
of which are in advanced stages of clinical development. Cordex's ATPace is
expected to enter a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of paroxysmal
supraventricular tachycardia early in 2009. Cordex's CDP-1050 is also
expected to commence a Phase 2 safety clinical trial in heart failure patients
early in 2009. In addition, Cordex has a preclinical program to develop new
chemical entities that target a recently discovered pathway in the
pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For further
information regarding Cordex, please visit the company's website at
www.cordexpharma.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ
materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking
statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations,
estimates and projections made by management. Cordex intends for the
forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for
forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects,"
"intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," or variations of such
words are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All
statements in this release regarding the future outlook related to Cordex are
forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the statements
regarding ATPace's expected entry into a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for
the treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and the anticipated
results of the trial, CDP-1050's expected commencement of a Phase 2 safety
clinical trial in heart failure patients. The forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements.
Such risks include the risk that the clinical trial for approval of ATPace and
the Phase 2 clinical trial for our CDP-1050 investigational drug may not be
successful, that our preclinical program to develop new chemical entities that
target a newly discovered pathway in the pathophysiology of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease may not be successful, and that our technology
may not lead to expected results including the development or the successful
commercialization of technologies relating to the use of ATP or nitric oxide.
Additional uncertainties and risks are described in Cordex's most recently
filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-KSB, all
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and any current reports on Form 8-K filed since
the date of the last Form 10-KSB. Copies of these filings are available
through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements
are based upon information available to Cordex on the date hereof. Cordex
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, other than as required by law.

SOURCE Cordex Pharma, Inc.

James S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A., Chairman and CEO of Cordex Pharma, Inc.,
+1-858-551-5700, or fax, +1-858-551-5704, kuoj@duskascientific.com