Annual Changes to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. NDAQ today announced the results of the annual re-ranking of the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index NBI, which will become effective prior to market open on Monday, December 22, 2014.

The following 44 securities will be added to the Index: Avalanche Biotechnologies, Inc. AAVL, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AERI, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. AKBA, Alder BioPharmaceuticals ALDR, Alimera Sciences Inc. ALIM, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AMPH, ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ANIP, Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ASPX, Cara Therapeutics, Inc. CARA, Compugen Ltd. CGEN, Celladon Corporation CLDN, Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CNCE, Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc. ENTA, Flamel Technologies S.A. FLML, Foundation Medicine, Inc. FMI, Amicus Therapeutics, Inc. FOLD, Five Prime Therapeutics FPRX, GW Pharmaceuticals Plc GWPH, Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. HPTX, Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. ICPT, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. INO, Insmed Inc. INSM, Kite Pharma, Inc. KITE, Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. KPTI, MacroGenics, Inc. MGNX, Ophthotech Corporation OPHT, Pharmacyclics Inc. PCYC, Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. PETX, POZEN Inc. POZN, Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. PTX, QLT Inc. QLTI, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. RARE, Receptos, Inc. RCPT, Radius Health, Inc. RDUS, Relypsa, Inc. RLYP, Retrophin, Inc. RTRX, Revance Therapeutics, Inc. RVNC, Sage Therapeutics, Inc. SAGE, Theravance Biopharma, Inc. TBPH, Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. TTPH, Versartis, Inc. VSAR, Acceleron Pharma Inc. XLRN, Zafgen Inc. ZFGN and ZS Pharma, Inc. ZSPH.

The Index is designed to track the performance of a set of securities listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market® (NASDAQ®) that are classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB).

As a result of the re-ranking, the following eight securities will be removed from the Index: Amarin Corporation PLC AMRN, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AUXL, Curis, Inc. CRIS, Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. EXPR, Cellular Dynamics International ICEL, Onconova Therapeutics Inc. ONTX, Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. RIGL, and Zogenix, Inc. ZGNX.

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