Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics (TM), today announced that J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the 30th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time.

The presentation will be webcast and accessible from the Investor Relations page of Targacept's website, www.targacept.com. To ensure a timely connection to the webcast, it is recommended that users register at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. An archived version of the webcast will be available for replay on the Investor Calendar section of the Investor Relations page of Targacept's website for at least two weeks following the event.

About Targacept

Targacept is developing a diverse pipeline of innovative NNR TherapeuticsTM for difficult-to-treat diseases and disorders of the nervous system. NNR Therapeutics selectively modulate the activity of specific neuronal nicotinic receptors, unique proteins that regulate vital biological functions that are impaired in various disease states. Targacept's clinical pipeline includes five mid to late-stage product candidates, all representing first-in-class opportunities. Targacept leverages its scientific leadership and proprietary drug discovery platform PentadTM to generate novel small molecule product candidates to fuel its pipeline and attract significant collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.targacept.com.

TARGACEPT

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Targacept, Inc.
Alan Musso, 336-480-2186
SVP, Finance and Administration and CFO
alan.musso@targacept.com
or
Linnden Communications
Michelle Linn, 508-362-3087
linnmich@comcast.net