RALEIGH, North Carolina, February 27 /PRNewswire/ --

DARA BioSciences(TM) (Nasdaq: DARA) announced today the appointment of Haywood D. Cochrane, Jr. to the Board of Directors. Mr. Cochrane was appointed to fill a Board vacancy and will serve on the Company's Audit and Compensation Committees. The appointment was effective February 21, 2008.

In making the announcement DARA's Board Chairman, Richard Franco, Sr., commented, "We are pleased that Haywood has joined us as a Director. His vast knowledge and successful experience in the healthcare industry will further strengthen DARA's already skilled Board."

Mr. Cochrane is currently Vice Chairman and a Director of I-trax, Inc. (Amex: DMX), a publicly traded, total population health management and productivity company. Mr. Cochrane has previously served as a Director of seven other publicly-traded companies.

About DARA BioSciences, Inc.

DARA BioSciences(TM), Inc. ("DARA") is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based development-stage pharmaceutical company that acquires promising therapeutic molecules and medical technologies directly or through investment in established companies. DARA focuses its therapeutic development efforts on small molecules from late preclinical development through phase 2 clinical trials. DARA is developing a portfolio of therapeutic candidates for neuropathic pain, metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and dermatological disorders. DARA has licensed promising drug development candidates from Kirin Pharmaceuticals of Japan, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Massachusetts General Hospital and Nuada LLC.

For more information please contact the Company at +1-919-872-5578 or visit our web site at www.darabio.com.

All statements in this news release that are not historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Such forward-looking statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially for DARA from those projected. Those factors include risks and uncertainties relating to the company's ability to develop and bring new products to market as anticipated, the current regulatory environment in which the company develops and sells its products, the market acceptance of those products, dependence on partner, successful performance under collaborative and other commercial agreements, competition, the strength of DARA's intellectual property, the intellectual property of others and other risk factors identified in the documents DARA has filed, or will file, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of DARA's filings with the SEC may be obtained from the SEC Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. DARA expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in DARA's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements are based. DARA BioSciences and the DARA logo are trademarks of DARA BioSciences, Inc.

Web site: http://www.darabio.com

John C. Thomas, Jr., Chief Financial Officer, +1-919-872-5578, or Lynn H. Morris, Sr. Manager, Investor Relations & Corporate Operations, +1-919-872-5578, both of DARA BioSciences, Inc.