Questcor Contributes $175,000 to Endowment of Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award for Pediatric Neurology

HAYWARD, Calif., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOR) today announced that it is contributing $175,000 to the Child Neurology Society and Child Neurology Foundation to further endow the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award.  The Dodge Award, named after Dr. Philip Rogers Dodge, one of the modern founders of the specialty of pediatric neurology, recognizes a promising young investigator annually with a $25,000 research grant.

Steve Cartt, Chief Operating Officer of Questcor, said the company has provided funding in previous years for the Award and has now committed to provide this additional funding in 2014 for the permanent endowment of the Dodge Award.  The company's donations in previous years, combined with this new 2014 commitment, reflects a total Questcor contribution to the Dodge Award of $250,000.

"Both the Child Neurology Society and Child Neurology Foundation have been working in tandem to permanently endow the Dodge Award," said Nina F. Schor, MD, PhD, president of the Child Neurology Society.  "Questcor's commitment to provide this funding to the Child Neurology Society's Philip R. Dodge, MD Young Investigator Award this year and the role of the Child Neurology Foundation in bringing this to fruition wonderfully reflect the common goal of Questcor, the CNF, and the CNS to enhance our understanding of and ability to treat disorders of the nervous system in childhood and adolescence.  We are so very grateful for this partnership!"

Darryl De Vivo, MD, chair of the Dodge Award Steering Committee at CNS, commented, "Questcor has been a great partner for the CNS and the CNF, and we now are within striking distance of our ultimate endowment goal of one million dollars for the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award. Hopefully, we will go over the top in 2014.  It is often said that a partnership is a success when the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Certainly, the efforts of Questcor, the Society and the Foundation have been a success by this measure.  And, at the end of the day, the children with terrible neurological burdens will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this support. We are all pleased."

W. Donald Shields, MD, president of the Child Neurology Foundation, said he was thrilled to hear the news of Questcor's donation.  "One of the important goals of the CNF is to fund young investigators as they begin a career in research that will improve the care of children suffering from neurologic disease," Dr. Shields said.  "Funding for the Dodge Award is an important step in that goal."

Steve Cartt said that in addition to the Dodge Award the company also supports the Child Neurology Foundation's efforts to educate the public about infantile spasms, a severe, very rare epileptic condition, and provide support for parents.  In addition, Questcor supports a number of initiatives through the Child Neurology Society to further research and training in the field.

"Questcor's support of the child neurology community is unwavering and we are very pleased to support the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award," added Mr. Cartt. "Supporting this cornerstone program of the Child Neurology Society will help encourage young scientists to focus their research efforts on initiatives to advance the understanding and treatment of pediatric neurological disorders.  Our hope is that these efforts will help pave the way for new and more effective treatments for the many children impacted by these disorders.  Questcor is committed to not only funding research, but also to further education and awareness of childhood neurologic disorders and to support the parents, children and healthcare providers who are directly affected." 

About the Child Neurology Society  
The Child Neurology Society is the non-profit professional association of pediatric neurologists in the United States, Canada, and worldwide.  Founded in 1972, the Child Neurology Society had an initial enrollment of 223 members. There are, at present, over 70 university-based training programs in child neurology in the United States and Canada, a half-dozen and over 1800 child neurologists in the CNS. For more information on CNS, please visit http://www.childneurologysociety.org.   

About the Child Neurology Foundation  
Founded in October 2000, the Child Neurology Foundation was created as the outreach and philanthropic arm of the Child Neurology Society. Members of the CNS include more than 1,300 child neurologists from the United States, Canada, as well as more than 30 other countries around the world.

The Foundation's mission is to advocate for children and adolescents with neurologic and developmental disorders; fund neurologic research of young investigators; promote awareness of career opportunities in child neurology; provide public, professional, and patient education programs; and support the activities and mission of the CNS.

For more information on the CNF, please visit www.childneurologyfoundation.org.

About Questcor Pharmaceuticals  
Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of patients with serious, difficult-to-treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Questcor's specific areas of focus are in the fields of neurology, nephrology and rheumatology, and the company is currently supporting research efforts in a variety of conditions having significant unmet medical need. For more information about Questcor, please visit www.Questcor.com. 

SOURCE Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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