Napo Pharmaceuticals

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Appointment of Jack Van Hulst as Non-Executive Director

South San Francisco, California, March 6, 2007 - South San Francisco, California, 6 March, 2007 - Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (LSE: NAPL), which focuses on the development and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceuticals for the global marketplace in collaboration with local partners, is pleased to announce today that Jack Van Hulst has been appointed to the Board of Napo as a Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.

Mr Van Hulst, aged 67, has more than 39 years of international experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He began his career in 1968 at Organon, which was subsequently acquired by AKZO, N.V., the multinational human and animal healthcare company, where, while being based in Europe and US, he was President of Diosynth, Inc, the biotechnology division of AKZO, and responsible for establishing AKZO's position in the US in the manufacturing and sales and marketing of fine chemicals. He later became President of AKZO's US Pharmaceutical Generic Drug Business and was responsible for establishing AKZO in the US generic drug industry.

From 1989 to 1999 Mr. Van Hulst successively owned and led two generic pharmaceutical companies, improving their operations and then selling them to a private equity group and a pharmaceutical company.

From 1999 to 2005, he was Executive Vice President at Puerto Rico-based MOVA Pharmaceutical Corporation, a contract manufacturer to the pharmaceutical industry that recently merged with Canadian-based Patheon (TSX:PTI).

He is currently a director of Protein Sciences Corporation, a privately-held biotechnology company based in Meriden, Connecticut which utilizes recombinant DNA technology to develop and manufacture modern protein-based vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, and is also a director of Senesco Technologies, Inc. (AMEX: SNT) a publicly held company which has developed technology that regulates the onset of cell death.

The Company confirms that there is no additional information which is required to be disclosed under Rule 9.6.13 of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.

Lisa A. Conte, CEO of Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. commented: "I am delighted to welcome Jack to the Board of Napo. He has significant experience internationally from within the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout his career Jack has gained broad experience from working with growing companies and developing business strategies in emerging markets. His experience in corporate strategy and working with government agencies such as the FDA will be of great value to Napo as we advance our portfolio and develop the global nature of our business."

Commenting on this announcement, Jack Van Hulst, said: "I am very excited about joining the Board of Napo and working with Lisa and the team. Napo is maturing at a fast pace and developing as a global business. The pipeline is strong and will capture an area of the pharmaceutical market where there is significant unmet medical need."

For more information please contact:

Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Lisa Conte, Chief Executive Officer
(001) + 650 616 1902

Charles Thompson, Chief Financial Officer
(001) + 650 616 1903

Buchanan Communications
020 7466 5000
Tim Anderson, Mary-Jane Johnson

Nomura Code Securities Limited
020 7776 1205
Clare Terlouw

About Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing proprietary pharmaceuticals for the global marketplace, in collaboration with local partners, in order to address major global unmet medical needs in developed and developing countries. Napo is currently developing crofelemer, which is in various stages of clinical development for four distinct product indications, including one product in Phase III, two in Phase II and one in Phase I clinical trials. Napo's four indications include AIDS diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), acute infectious diarrhea (traveler's diarrhea and cholera) and pediatric diarrhea. The Company has been granted FDA fast-track status for the AIDS and IBS products and has generated extensive safety data on more than 1500 patients across all indications. Napo's partners include Trine Pharmaceuticals Inc., Glenmark Pharmaceuticals of Mumbai, India and the AsiaPharm Group Ltd., headquartered in Singapore and Shanghai. Napo's clinical stage product for diabetes and metabolic syndrome, NP-500 is a candidate for Phase 2 clinical development. Napo also has a medicinal product library of over 2,300 plants, which is the subject of pre-clinical discovery collaboration.