LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 30, 2006--Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM), a healthcare services management company that licenses the PROMETA(TM) physiological protocols designed to treat alcohol, methamphetamine and cocaine dependence, announced today that the PROMETA protocols have been licensed to Beverly Hills physician Gary Ross Cohan, M.D., F.A.C.P.

"Dr. Cohan is highly regarded by the national medical community and his patients, and has long been a leader in addressing healthcare issues that affect the gay community," explained Terren S. Peizer, Hythiam's Chairman and CEO. "His cutting-edge work with HIV positive patients is widely recognized in the United States. Dr. Cohan's dedication to the unique health issues affecting the gay community, like methamphetamine dependency, make him an ideal PROMETA licensee. His influence on his colleagues in the gay and lesbian medical community is a direct result of his excellent reputation for outstanding care and long track record of community involvement."

Dr. Cohan stated that, "The methamphetamine epidemic has been ravaging the gay community for the last decade. I personally have witnessed countless patients and dear friends succumb to this insidious scourge -- a recreational drug with effects unlike any other substance I have seen in my twenty years as a physician. Crystal meth is now directly linked to new HIV infections as well as an unprecedented resurgence of syphilis and other STDs related to unsafe sexual behaviors.

"Historically, there have been only cognitive-behavioral interventions for meth addiction which have met with rather modest success in initiating and maintaining sobriety in this patient population. After reviewing the available data and speaking to other doctors who have administered the PROMETA treatment and to patients who have been treated with PROMETA, I am uncharacteristically optimistic that it holds great promise for those afflicted with meth addiction. I look forward to the release of data from several clinical studies currently underway on PROMETA that will likely catapult the protocol to the forefront for treating methamphetamine addiction and other substance use issues.

"After two decades of experience with the AIDS epidemic and the myriad of drugs that have entered the AIDS treatment pipeline, my patients are extraordinarily sophisticated. They know how to look at data and interpret it," said Dr. Cohan. "They trust me because they know I am not only a doctor but a vocal patient advocate who is ultimately concerned about what happens to the gay community. If the PROMETA treatment protocol is as effective as I believe it will prove to be, this medical breakthrough will greatly impact our community."

Dr. Cohan practices internal comprehensive medicine with a specialty in HIV. He earned his undergraduate degrees in English and Biology in 1982 from Amherst College and conducted postgraduate research at Cambridge University. Dr. Cohan completed his M.D. in 1987 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

After completing Internal Medicine board certification in 1990, and successfully finishing his full re-certification in 2001 by the American Board of Internal Medicine, in 2003 Dr. Cohan was awarded the highest honor in Internal Medicine when he was designated a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

About PROMETA

Hythiam's PROMETA treatment protocols are designed for use by healthcare providers seeking to treat individuals diagnosed with dependencies to alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamines, as well as combinations of these drugs. The PROMETA protocols include medically supervised procedures designed to address both the neurochemical imbalances in the brain and some of the nutritional deficits caused or worsened by substance dependence. Changes in brain chemistry and function play an important role in the physical and behavioral symptoms of substance dependence, including tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, craving and relapse. The PROMETA protocols also provide for one-month of prescription medication and nutritional supplements, combined with psychosocial or other recovery-oriented therapy chosen by the patient in conjunction with their treatment provider. As a result, PROMETA represents an innovative approach to managing alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine dependence that is designed to address physiological, nutritional and psychosocial aspects of the disease, and is thereby intended to offer patients an opportunity to achieve sustained recovery.

About Hythiam, Inc.

Hythiam is a healthcare services management company, focused on delivering solutions for those suffering from alcoholism and other substance dependencies. Hythiam researches, develops, licenses and commercializes innovative physiological treatment protocols that seek to address substance dependence. Additionally, Hythiam provides proprietary administrative services to assist physicians and facilities with staff education, marketing and sales support, and outcomes tracking for data analysis. For further information, please click on www.hythiam.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history and lack of statistically significant formal research studies, the risk that treatment protocols might not be effective, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and substantial regulation in the healthcare industry; and additional risks factors as discussed in the reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on its website at http://www.sec.gov.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan 26, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM), the healthcare services management company that licenses PROMETA(TM) treatment protocols designed to target the biology of substance dependence, has awarded the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) an unrestricted educational grant of approximately $320,000. GLMA will use these funds to examine methamphetamine use in the gay community and treatment options, and to make recommendations about how health care providers can get meth-addicted patients into treatment.

"We are pleased to be working with GLMA, the pre-eminent organization devoted to ensuring equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, to advance our commitment to treating methamphetamine abuse in a population that has suffered extensively," explained Terren S. Peizer, Hythiam Chairman and CEO.

Crystal methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive drug that has had devastating consequences for significant parts of the gay male community. A 2003 study co-led by the Chicago Department of Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that approximately 10% of gay men sampled had used methamphetamines at least once in the previous year, compared with 0.7% of the general US population. In addition, of those gay men who reported using meth, 20% admitted using at least once per week. A joint study conducted from 2000 to 2001 by the University of California San Francisco AIDS Health Project, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health found that those who used meth were three times as likely to contract HIV compared to those who abstained.

According to Steven Lee, M.D., a New York-based psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of methamphetamine addiction in gay men and GLMA board member, "The number of heterosexual meth users far exceeds the number of gay meth users. However, this drug clearly has a dangerous impact on a more sizeable proportion of the gay community. To date, there are only a few studies looking at either medical or behavioral interventions specifically tailored to meth. Because use of meth has such harmful consequences and is so intensely addictive, it is crucial to investigate more effective treatments."

Hythiam's grant will allow GLMA to examine the extent of meth use among gay and bisexual men and the most promising options for treating meth addiction, and to develop recommendations about how health care providers can get patients dependent on methamphetamine into treatment. An advisory board is being assembled to oversee the project. A series of focus groups are planned for May and June. GLMA will produce a white paper on the topic in July.

Joel Ginsberg, Executive Director of GLMA, said, "A methamphetamine habit is harmful and hard to kick. We're grateful to Hythiam for giving us this opportunity to educate health care providers about best practices in dealing with crystal meth abuse by gay and bisexual men."

About Hythiam, Inc.

Hythiam(R) is a healthcare services management company focused on delivering solutions for those suffering from alcoholism and other substance dependencies. Hythiam researches, develops, licenses and commercializes innovative physiological treatment protocols that seek to address substance dependence. Hythiam also provides proprietary administrative services to assist physicians and facilities with staff education, marketing and sales support, and outcomes tracking for data analysis. For further information, please click on www.hythiam.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history and lack of statistically significant formal research studies, the risk that treatment protocols might not be effective, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and substantial regulation in the healthcare industry; and additional risks factors as discussed in the reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on its Web site at http://www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: Hythiam, Inc.