DURECT Announces Promotions and Management Changes

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CUPERTINO, Calif., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DURECT Corporation
(Nasdaq: DRRX) announced today that Dr. Su IL Yum has been promoted to Senior
Vice President of Engineering.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020717/DRRXLOGO )

“We are very fortunate to have Su IL to help us through these formative
years at DURECT, where he is able to guide the development of our first
products to commercial introduction,” stated Dr. Felix Theeuwes, Chairman and
Chief Scientific Officer of DURECT. “Dr. Yum is a key member of our
management team and has been a strong contributor to our research and
development efforts particularly in the development of DURECT’s parental and
oral drug delivery systems. Since joining DURECT, he has continuously been
involved in the application of several of DURECT’s platform technologies to
develop significant value-added pharmaceutical products. His fundamental
insight into mass transport phenomena and product design were instrumental to
his successful career at several pharmaceutical companies and at DURECT.”

Prior to joining DURECT, Dr. Yum served as Senior Technical Advisor at
Amira Medical, where he participated in the development of a pain free glucose
detector called AtLast(R). Prior to joining Amira, he held a number of senior
positions in project management and engineering at ALZA Corporation and
contributed to the development of a number of ALZA’s enabling drug delivery
technologies and commercial products, most notably transdermal patch products
such as Nicoderm(R) (nicotine patch) and Duragesic(R) (fentanyl patch).

Dr. Yum earned his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the
University of Minnesota, and completed a Post-doctoral research in Biomedical
Engineering at the University of Utah. He has more than 40 scientific
publications and is the inventor of more than 60 U.S. and foreign patents. Dr.
Yum is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

DURECT also announced today that Jian Li, has been promoted to Vice
President of Finance and Corporate Controller.

“Jian has served DURECT with the utmost dedication and integrity. She has
been instrumental in creating and maintaining financial and accounting systems
at DURECT to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations and
accurate and timely financial reporting,” stated Thomas A. Schreck, Co-Founder
and Chief Financial Officer of DURECT.

Ms. Li joined DURECT in March of 2000 as Accounting Manager and was
promoted to Corporate Controller in April of 2001. Prior to joining DURECT,
she held various positions at Elan Pharmaceuticals in California and GTE
Hawaiian Telephone in Honolulu, Hawaii in the roles of Financial Analyst,
Accountant and Marketing Analyst. Ms. Li earned her M.B.A. in Finance from
the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1995. She is also a Certified Public
Accountant and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

DURECT also announced today that Judy Magruder, who has served as one of
DURECT’s Sr. Vice Presidents of development is leaving the company to pursue
other opportunities. Ms. Magruder will continue to act as a consultant for
DURECT.

“As one of the early members of our management team, Judy made significant
contributions in helping establish DURECT’s development infrastructure with
her expertise in project management and quality assurance,” said Jim Brown,
President and Chief Executive Officer, “Judy has been a valued friend and
colleague and we wish her all the best.”

About DURECT Corporation

DURECT Corporation (www.www.durect.com) is pioneering the development and
commercialization of pharmaceutical systems for the treatment of chronic
debilitating diseases and enabling biotechnology-based pharmaceutical
products. DURECT’s goal is to deliver the right drug to the right site in the
right amount at the right time. DURECT’s lead product in development is
CHRONOGESIC, a 3-month product for the treatment of chronic pain. DURECT also
owns three proprietary drug delivery platform technologies, including the
SABER Delivery System (a patented and versatile depot injectable useful for
protein and small molecule delivery), the MICRODUR(TM) Biodegradable
Microparticulates (microspheres injectable system) and the DURIN(TM)
Biodegradable Implant (drug-loaded implant system) upon which DURECT is
developing a pipeline of other products.

NOTE: CHRONOGESIC(R), SABER(TM), MICRODUR(TM) and DURIN(TM) are
trademarks of DURECT Corporation. Other trademarks referred to belong to their
respective owners.

The statements in this press release regarding DURECT’s products in
development and product development plans are forward-looking statements
involving risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ
materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, DURECT’s ability to complete
the design, development, and manufacturing process development of its
products, manufacture and commercialize its products, obtain product and
manufacturing approvals from regulatory agencies, manage its growth and
expenses, manage relationships with third parties, finance its activities and
operations, as well as marketplace acceptance of DURECT’s products. Further
information regarding these and other risks is included in DURECT’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002 filed with the
SEC on March 14, 2003, DURECT’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2003 filed with the SEC on November 13, 2003 and other
periodic reports filed with the SEC under the heading “Factors that may affect
future results.”

SOURCE DURECT Corporation

CONTACT:
Schond L. Greenway, Senior Director, Investor Relations and
Strategic Planning of DURECT Corporation, 408-777-1417
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