Gastroenterologist opening at Avista

Gastroenterologist Scott E. Hallgren will be opening Northwest Gastroenterology Specialists

on the Avista Adventist Hospital campus Louisville this April.

Gastroenterologists deal with digestive diseases, and treat many conditions - from abdominal

pain, ulcers and hiatal hernias to hemorrhoids, heartburn and colon cancer.

Dr. Hallgren, holds a medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery at

Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, is board certified in internal medicine and

gastroenterology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He completed a

fellowship in gastroenterology at the William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas; did

his residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora and did his internship at Martin

Army Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Hallgren moves to Colorado from Largo, Fla., where he practiced at the Florida Center for

Gastroenterology. In private practice for more than 20 years, he has published extensively

within his field of practice.

Ventrus Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTUS) a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and

commercializing gastrointestinal products has been featured in "The Pink Sheet Daily."

The lead product from Ventrus is Inferanserin (VEN 309) which is being developed for the

topical treatment of hemorrhoids. VEN 309 should begin Phase III trials in mid 2011.

Hemorrhoids affect more than 50% of the US population over 50 years of age. The available

treatments for hemorrhoids, over the counter and medically prescribed, total approximately

$350 million dollars annually in sales.