Targacept Announces Participation in Upcoming Conferences

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics™, today announced that J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the following conferences:

• 8th Annual BIO Investor Forum at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, October 28, 2009; and
• The Oppenheimer 20th Annual Healthcare Conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Each presentation will be webcast and accessible from the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.targacept.com. Each webcast will also be available for replay on the Company’s website for at least two weeks following the corresponding event. To ensure a timely connection, it is recommended that users register at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

About Targacept

Targacept is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops NNR Therapeutics™, a new class of drugs for the treatment of central nervous system diseases and disorders. Targacept's product candidates selectively modulate neuronal nicotinic receptors that serve as key regulators of the nervous system to promote therapeutic effects and limit adverse side effects. Targacept has clinical-stage product candidates in development for major depressive disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer's disease and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, as well as multiple preclinical programs. Targacept has a cognition-focused collaboration with AstraZeneca and a strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline. Targacept’s news releases are available on its website at www.targacept.com.