SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:HPTX) announced today that the company will host and webcast an analyst and investor briefing on November 12, 2012, in Boston, MA at the 63^rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) or "The Liver Meeting®". The Hyperion Therapeutics analyst and investor briefing will take place from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Monday, November 12, 2012, in the Commonwealth Room of the Sheraton Hotel, connected to the Boston Hynes Convention Center.

Principal investigators representing the Steering Committee of the HALT-HE Study will comment on the HALT-HE Study results that are scheduled for presentation earlier that day in The Liver Meeting's Presidential Plenary Session I.

The abstract, "Randomized, controlled, double-blind study of glycerol phenylbutyrate in patients with cirrhosis and episodic hepatic encephalopathy," is published online at https://www.aasld.org/lm2012. The HALT-HE study was a Phase II, multi-center, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of glycerol phenylbutyrate vs. placebo in 178 patients with episodic HE recruited from 28 sites in the United States, 9 sites in Russia and 7 sites in Ukraine.

About Hepatic Encephalopathy

HE is a serious but potentially reversible neurological disorder that can occur in patients with cirrhosis of any etiology or acute liver failure. HE comprises a spectrum of neurological signs and symptoms ranging from mild (e.g. minimal disorientation) to severe (e.g. coma, death) and is believed to occur when the brain is exposed to gut-derived toxins such as ammonia that are normally removed from the blood by a healthy liver. Based on the current epidemiological literature, Hyperion estimates that there are approximately one million patients in the United States with cirrhosis, of whom approximately 140,000 have overt HE.

About Glycerol Phenylbutyrate

Glycerol phenylbutyrate, an investigational drug, is a pre-pro-drug of phenylacetic acid, the active moiety of BUPHENYL®, the only branded therapy currently FDA-approved as adjunctive therapy for the chronic management of patients with the most prevalent urea cycle disorders. Glycerol phenylbutyrate holds orphan product designations in the United States and Europe for the maintenance treatment of patients with urea cycle disorders (UCD) and in the United States for the intermittent or chronic treatment of patients with cirrhosis and any grade of hepatic encephalopathy.

About Hyperion Therapeutics

Hyperion Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat disorders in the areas of orphan diseases and hepatology. Hyperion Therapeutics is developing Ravicti™ (glycerol phenylbutyrate) for two orphan indications: UCD and HE.

BUPHENYL^® is a registered trademark of Ucyclyd Pharma, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements:

To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Hyperion, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, statements regarding our expectations regarding the timing of the presentation of the analyst and investor briefing in November. Hyperion undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties relating to the business of the company in general, see Hyperion's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, and any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.