Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Criminal Justice System to Collaborate in Evaluating PROMETA(TM) for Methamphetamine Dependence; Methamphetamine Has Surpassed Alcohol as the Most Commonly Used Drug in Idaho

LOS ANGELES, Feb 22, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM), a healthcare services management company licensing the PROMETA(TM) physiological protocols designed to treat alcohol, methamphetamine and cocaine dependence, announced today that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the criminal justice system as represented by the Idaho Supreme Court's Statewide Drug Court and Mental Health Court Coordinating Committee, will collaborate on a pilot using PROMETA(TM) with thirty participants to evaluate its efficacy as a medical treatment for methamphetamine dependency, as well as its effect on reducing recidivism among criminal offenders. Funding for the pilot will be provided through the State's drug court system.

Drug and alcohol offenders impact all divisions of criminal justice including law enforcement, drug courts, probation, and correctional facilities. Illicit drug manufacturing, distribution, and use has created a public health and safety crisis for the State of Idaho. In a survey of inmates leaving the Department of Corrections to return to their communities, 52% say methamphetamine was the primary reason for their incarceration. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reports that methamphetamine is the most widely used illicit substance in the state of Idaho, surpassing the use of marijuana, heroin, and cocaine combined.

"The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the State's criminal justice system agree that methamphetamine use is a medical problem and the State should provide effective treatment for methamphetamine dependency," said Supreme Court Justice Daniel T. Eismann, Chair of the Statewide Coordinating Committee. "The drug court system represents a good venue for conducting a pilot such as this one on behalf of the state. Our existing system of monitoring drug use through regular drug testing is a proven one. As a result, we can share detailed outcomes information with other state agencies in Idaho and throughout the country.

"Methamphetamine dependent individuals have caused crime rates in Idaho to surge dramatically and end up in our criminal justice system," continued Eismann. "Although we achieve success with many drug court participants who are substance dependent, the meth population is particularly resistant to treatment and we have great difficulty getting those individuals to comply with the drug courts' process. Continued use of methamphetamine results in high rates of recidivism and the State's corrections system ultimately bears the cost of long-term incarceration for individuals who relapse. If we find a protocol that will reduce the craving for methamphetamine that should increase the success rate for those addicts who are the most difficult to treat.

"Because methamphetamine dependency causes rapid impairment of cognition and judgment, we are finding that the threat of incarceration is not a sufficient deterrent from use for a significant number of individuals who come through our system," Eismann continued. "If we can convert even a small percentage of this population into lasting sobriety, the lessened burden on the State will be significant. We are following this pilot closely to determine how we can integrate PROMETA into the State's criminal justice system in an attempt to help offenders become productive members of their communities."

While serving as a district judge, Justice Eismann implemented the first drug court in the State of Idaho as an alternative to putting substance dependent individuals into prison. After obtaining a federal grant in 1998, Idaho's first model drug court program had begun to operate in Ada County. Justice Eismann presided over Ada County's drug court until taking office as a Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, and maintains an active role in coordinating the State's growing drug court system. He chairs the statewide Drug Court Coordinating Committee, the Civil Rules Committee, and is a Board member for the Idaho State Bar Lawyer's Association which provides assistance to lawyers with substance dependencies. Justice Eismann has participated either as a presenter or a panelist in numerous educational programs for judges and attorneys and has served on several Supreme Court committees.

"We are excited to see this collaboration between the various agencies within the State of Idaho," said Terren S. Peizer, Chairman and CEO of Hythiam. "Ultimately, it is the State and its taxpayers who bear the cost of failed substance dependence treatments. While State Medicaid and correctional facilities are the hardest hit, the burden is shouldered by many groups including social services, behavioral health, county hospitals, law enforcement, and child services. Justice Eismann and the Department of Health and Welfare are taking the lead in generating outcomes data that we believe will lead the introduction of PROMETA as a front-line treatment against methamphetamine dependence."

Thirty methamphetamine dependent participants in the drug court who appear motivated to discontinue methamphetamine use but are unable to do so because of overwhelming cravings will be medically evaluated by a physician trained in administering the PROMETA treatment protocol. If the physician determines that the participants meet the selection criteria of this pilot and have no contraindications to PROMETA treatment, they will eligible for treatment. Participants who sign the Treatment Consent Form for PROMETA will be treated according to the procedures outlined in the Protocol for methamphetamine. Agreeing to PROMETA treatment will not affect participants' status within drug court. Participants will continue the regular psychosocial and monitoring services of the drug court.

In addition, for the 90 days following the first infusion of PROMETA, a case manager or coordinator will complete weekly data collection forms. Measures will include:

-- (1) Case manager assessments

-- (2) Urine drug screening results

-- (3) Court sanctions

-- (4) Self report of methamphetamine craving

Drug court participants who will be considered successful in this pilot will be those who complete both infusion treatment cycles and the 60 day follow-up and are rated much improved by their case manager. Participants will also be classified as successful if they have no more than one episode of methamphetamine use during the last 60 days of monitoring, and are not incarcerated for a new methamphetamine related offense perpetrated during the last 60 days of monitoring.

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(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. 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.

SOURCE: Hythiam, Inc.

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