Kos Announces the Appointment of Kevin P. Clarke as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KOSP) announced todaythe appointment of Kevin P. Clarke to the position of Executive VicePresident and Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Mr.Clarke, 46, previously a Senior Managing Director responsible forhealthcare mergers and acquisitions at Bear Stearns, will report toAdrian Adams, President and CEO of Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr.Clarke will be responsible for overseeing all of Kos' finance,accounting, business planning and investor relations functions andwill be based in Kos' headquarters in Cranbury, New Jersey.

"Kevin's leadership and strategic focus at Bear Stearns, togetherwith his extensive experience in healthcare merger and acquisitiontransactions, capital and financial management make him an idealchoice for this important position," said Adrian Adams, President andCEO of Kos Pharmaceuticals. "He brings a deep knowledge andunderstanding of the healthcare and specialty pharmaceutical industry,its products and the fundamentals that drive the sector. He alsobrings significant Wall Street experience with strategic financialtransactions and expertise in creating opportunities for shareholdervalue. Kevin has the disposition, integrity and knowledge that arefundamental to the Chief Financial Officer position. I have no doubtthat he will make a huge contribution to Kos and I am looking forwardto working with him in continuing our strong financial momentum in theshort-, medium- and long-term."

Mr. Clarke joins Kos from Bear Stearns, where he spent the last 13years holding positions of increasing responsibility, last serving asSenior Managing Director. Mr. Clarke worked on both the product andservices side of healthcare, with a particular focus on the specialtypharmaceutical space. Notable transactions and advisory servicesprovided by Mr. Clarke and his group ranged from specialty and genericpharmaceuticals to medical devices, life sciences, contract researchorganizations and pharmaceutical marketing companies. Prior to joiningBear Stearns, Mr. Clarke spent 7 years at Kidder Peabody on theinvestment banking side of the business. He began his career servingon the staff of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives inWashington, DC from 1981 to 1983. Mr. Clarke received his B.A. degreein Political Science and Economics from Le Moyne College, where he iscurrently a member of the Board of Trustees, and his M.B.A. fromCornell University.

Certain statements in this press release, including statementsregarding the Company's future prospects, ability to develop oracquire additional products, and the Company's ability to successfullynegotiate additional important strategic business development andlicensing opportunities, are forward-looking and are subject to risksand uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materiallyfrom those projected in a forward-looking statement. These risks anduncertainties include, the continuing growth of the cardiovascular andrespiratory markets, the Company's ability to maintain its compliancewith FDA regulations and standards without adversely affecting theCompany's manufacturing capability or ability to meet its productionrequirements or profit margins, changes in the regulatory environmentgoverning the Company's compliance with the FDA, PTO, tax andcompetition issues, the Company's ability to achieve regulatoryapprovals for its products under development in a timely manner, theeffect of conditions in the pharmaceutical industry and the economy ingeneral, as well as certain other risks. A more detailed discussion ofrisks attendant to the forward-looking statements included in thispress release are set forth in the "Forward-Looking Information:Certain Cautionary Statements" section of the Company's Annual Reporton Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, filed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, and in other reports filed withthe SEC.