PALO ALTO, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXA) announced today announced that it has been selected to be included in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ:NBI) effective with the market open on Monday, May 21, 2007. Launched in 1993, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index includes pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as classified according to the Industry Classification Benchmark. The Index is ranked on a semi-annual basis in May and November and serves as the basis for the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index Fund(SM) (IBB). All securities in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market or the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and meet minimum requirements including market value, average daily share volume, and seasoning as a public company among other criteria. For more information about the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, including eligibility criteria, visit http://www.nasdaq.com/. About Alexza Pharmaceuticals Alexza Pharmaceuticals is an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, proprietary products for the treatment of acute and intermittent conditions. The Company's technology, the Staccato(R) system, vaporizes unformulated drug to form a condensation aerosol that allows rapid systemic drug delivery through deep lung inhalation. The drug is quickly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream, providing speed of therapeutic onset that is comparable to intravenous administration, but with greater ease, patient comfort and convenience. The Company has five product candidates in clinical development; AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine) for the acute treatment of migraine headaches, AZ-004 (Staccato loxapine) for the treatment of acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia, AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) for the acute treatment of panic attacks associated with panic disorder, AZ-003 (Staccato fentanyl) for the treatment of patients with acute pain and AZ-007 (Staccato zaleplon) for the treatment of sleep disorder in patients who have difficulty falling asleep. DATASOURCE: Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Thomas B. King, President & CEO, +1-650-687-3900, or Web site: http://www.alexza.com/

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