VistaGen Therapeutics Appoints Mark A. McPartland Vice President of Corporate Development and Investor Relations

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTGN) (VistaGen or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative product candidates for patients with diseases and disorders involving the central nervous system (CNS), today announced that it has appointed Mark A. McPartland as Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Mr. McPartland will collaborate on the advancement of VistaGen's corporate strategy and development, lead the execution of its investor relations (IR) program, and serve as a company spokesperson, reporting to Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer.

Mark McPartland joins VistaGen with over 20 years of experience in corporate development, capital markets, corporate communications, and executive management consulting. Mr. McPartland's background includes guiding the development and execution of corporate strategy for both private and public companies at all stages of their commercial evolution, including early- and mid-stage biopharmaceutical companies.

"We have recently taken several deliberate steps to prepare VistaGen to achieve momentum- building milestones in the near term and beyond. With our recent uplisting to NASDAQ, strengthening of our clinical and regulatory teams, notable appointments to our board of directors and key advisory boards, and the continued advancement of our Phase 2 program for AV-101, our flagship CNS product candidate for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder, we have come very far in a short period of time.  We have now reached an important inflection point for the Company, and it is clear that we need to augment our team to increase our efforts to expand awareness of VistaGen across a broad range of stakeholders; investors, patients, researchers, clinicians and potential partners.  I am highly confident that Mark's management and IR experience, successful track record working with emerging healthcare companies, combined with his strong business acumen, tireless work ethic and diverse capital markets expertise, will be invaluable as we propel VistaGen through its next, dynamic stage of growth," commented Mr. Singh.

"I am thrilled to be joining VistaGen at such an important and exciting time for the Company. I believe AV-101 has the potential to be a game-changing therapy for millions of individuals, not only those who battle depression every day, but also those in several other large CNS markets with high clinical need.  I look forward to working with the VistaGen team to execute on the many strategic opportunities which could have a tremendous impact on patients and unlock significant long-term value for our shareholders," stated Mr. McPartland.

Prior to joining VistaGen, Mr. McPartland served as the Vice President of Corporate Development and Communications at Stellar Biotechnologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBOT), a leader in sustainable manufacture of KLH, an immune-stimulating protein widely used in the field of active immunotherapy. While at Stellar, Mr. McPartland was responsible for transforming and expanding its capital markets and corporate communications strategy, while also supporting its global business development activities. Prior to Stellar, Mr. McPartland served as Senior Vice President at MZ Group, a subsidiary of @titude Global, the world's largest independent global IR consulting firm. His prior experience includes Vice President and Partner at Alliance Advisors, LLC where he specialized in the implementation of capital markets strategy, market positioning and financial communications, and Regional Vice President of Hayden Communications, Inc. where he led investor relations and corporate communications programs for micro and small cap companies.

Mr. McPartland received his Bachelors in Business Administration and Marketing from Coastal Carolina University.

VistaGen recently provided a business outlook, including the clinical status of AV-101 (L-4-chlorokyurenine or 4-CI-KYN) and an overview of anticipated events and near-term corporate, business, clinical and regulatory milestones expected through the first half of 2017. AV-101 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2a monotherapy study for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), a study being conducted and funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Carlos Zarate, Chief, Section on the Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders and Chief of Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch at the NIMH, is the Principal Investigator of the study. AV-101's mechanism of action is fundamentally differentiated from all FDA-approved antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics, with potential to drive a paradigm shift towards new generation safer and faster-acting antidepressants. VistaGen expects to report topline data from its NIMH-sponsored Phase 2a study in the second quarter of 2017. The Company is also preparing to advance AV-101 into a Phase 2b study for adjunctive treatment of MDD in the first quarter of 2017.

About VistaGen
VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative product candidates for patients with diseases and disorders involving the CNS. VistaGen's lead CNS product candidate, AV-101, is a new generation, orally available prodrug in Phase 2 development, initially for the adjunctive treatment of MDD in patients with inadequate response to standard antidepressants. AV-101 is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 2a clinical study being conducted by Principal Investigator, Dr. Carlos Zarate, of the NIMH, and fully funded by the NIMH. VistaGen is also preparing to initiate a Phase 2b clinical study of AV-101 as an adjunctive treatment of MDD in the first quarter of 2017.

For more information, please visit www.vistagen.com and connect with VistaGen on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to VistaGen's successful Phase 2a and Phase 2b clinical studies of AV-101 for adjunctive treatment of MDD and other CNS diseases and disorders, protection of its intellectual property, and the availability of substantial additional capital to support its operations, including the development activities described above. These and other risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in VistaGen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. VistaGen undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.

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