2,020,203 Shares Common Stock UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

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2,020,203 Shares

CV THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Common Stock

June 6, 2001

▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ SECURITIES CORPORATION
As Representative of the several Underwriters
c/o ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇

Dear Sirs:

Introductory. CV Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), proposes to sell, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the "Underwriters," or, each, an "Underwriter"), an aggregate of 2,020,203 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value (the "Common Stock") of the Company (the "Stock"). ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation ("▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇") is acting as representative of the several Underwriters and in such capacity is hereinafter referred to as the "Representative."

I. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters that:

(a) A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-53202), including all pre-effective amendments thereto (the "Initial Registration Statement"), in respect of the Stock has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, but including all documents incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained therein, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or any Registration Statement (a "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement"), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and the rules and regulations (the "Rules and Regulations") of the Commission thereunder, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Rules and Regulations, is hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"); the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including (i) the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Securities Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective and (ii) the documents incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the Initial Registration Statement at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the "Registration Statements"; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus," and any reference herein to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or

Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statements shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statements. No document has been or will be prepared or distributed in reliance on Rule 434 under the Securities Act. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission.

(b) The Registration Statement conforms (and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements to either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus, when they become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform) in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date (as to the Registration Statements and any amendment thereto) and as of the applicable filing date (as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto) contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the foregoing representations and warranties shall not apply to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein.

(c) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, when such documents become effective or are filed with Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(d) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, and has all power and authority necessary to own or hold its properties and to conduct the business in which it is engaged, except where the failure to so qualify or have such power or authority would not have, singularly or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company (a "Material Adverse Effect"). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporations, associations or other entities.

(e) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(f) The Stock to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder has been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided

herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free of any preemptive or similar rights and will conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.

(g) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company, including the Stock when issued and delivered in accordance with this Agreement, have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.

(h) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, nor will such actions result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets.

(i) Except for the registration of the Stock under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act and applicable state securities laws and rules and regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Stock by the Underwriters, no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing or registration with, any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

(j) Ernst & Young LLP, who have expressed their opinions on the audited financial statements and related schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statements and the Prospectus are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations.

(k) The financial statements, together with the related notes and schedules, included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and in each Registration Statement fairly present the financial position and the results of operations and changes in financial position of the Company at the respective dates or for the respective periods therein specified. Such statements and related notes and schedules have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis except as may be set forth in the Prospectus.

(l) The Company has not has sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since such date, there has not been any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus.

(m) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, there is no legal or governmental proceeding pending to which the Company is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company is the subject which, singularly or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company, might have a Material Adverse Effect or would prevent or adversely affect the ability of the Company to

perform its obligations under this Agreement; and to the best of the Company's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others.

(n) The Company (i) is not in violation of its charter or by-laws, (ii) is not in default in any respect, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject and (iii) is not in violation in any respect of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court decree to which it or its property or assets may be subject except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii), any violations or defaults which, singularly or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(o) The Company possesses such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (including, licenses, pharmacy licenses, accreditation and other similar documentation or approvals of any local health departments) (collectively, "Governmental Licenses") issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies, including, without limitation, the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), necessary to conduct the business now operated by it; the Company is in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses and all applicable FDA rules and regulations, guidelines and policies, except where the failure so to comply could not reasonably be expected to, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(p) The Company owns or possesses adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property, including, without limitation, all of the intellectual property described in the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by the Company (collectively, "Intellectual Property"), necessary to carry on the business now operated by it. Except as set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments thereto after the date hereof), no valid U.S. patent is, or to the knowledge of the Company would be, infringed by the activities of the Company in the manufacture, use, offer for sale or sale of any product or component thereof as described in the Prospectus. The patent applications (the "Patent Applications") filed by or on behalf of the Company described in the Prospectus have been properly prepared and filed on behalf of the Company; except as set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments thereto after the date hereof) each of the Patent Applications and patents (the "Patents") described in the Prospectus is assigned or licensed to the Company, and, except as set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments thereto after the date hereof), no other entity or individual has any right or claim in any Patent, Patent Application or any patent to be issued therefrom; and, to the knowledge of the Company, each of the Patent Applications discloses potentially patentable subject matter. There are no actions, suits or judicial proceedings pending relating to patents or proprietary information to which the Company is a party or of which any property of the Company is subject and the Company has not received any notice and is not otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which could render any Intellectual Properly invalid or inadequate

to protect the interest of the Company therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(q) The human clinical trials conducted by the Company or in which the Company has participated relating to ranolazine and CVT-510 and CVT-3146 that are described in the Prospectus, or the results of which are referred to in the Prospectus are the only human clinical trials currently being conducted by or on behalf of the Company, and, to the best of the Company's knowledge, such studies and tests were and, if still pending, are being, conducted in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional scientific standards; the descriptions of the results of such studies, tests and trials contained in the Prospectus are accurate and complete in all material respects. The Company has no knowledge of any other studies or tests, the results of which call into question the results of the clinical trials described in the Prospectus. The Company has not received any notices or correspondence from the FDA or any other governmental agency requiring the termination, suspension or modification of any clinical trials conducted by, or on behalf of, the Company or in which the Company has participated that are described in the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Prospectus. All human clinical trials previously conducted by or on behalf of the Company while conducted by or on behalf of the Company, were conducted in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional scientific standards; the descriptions of the results of such studies, tests and trials contained in the Prospectus, if any, are accurate and complete in all material respects.

(r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering of the Stock and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not become an "investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(s) Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or affiliates has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed or intended to stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which might in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company.

(t) The Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to, or has valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real or personal property which are material to the business of the Company, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects that may result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(u) No labor disturbance by the employees of the Company exists or, to the best of the Company's knowledge, is imminent which might be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not aware that any key employee or significant group of employees of the Company plans to terminate employment with the Company.

(v) No "prohibited transaction" (as defined in Section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder ("ERISA"), or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the "Code")) or "accumulated funding deficiency" (as defined in Section 302 of ERISA) or any of the events set forth in Section 4043(b) of ERISA (other than events with respect to which the 30-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA has been waived) has occurred with respect to any employee benefit plan which could have a Material Adverse Effect; each employee benefit plan is in compliance in all material respects with applicable law, including ERISA and the Code; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of, or withdrawal from, any

"pension plan"; and each "pension plan" (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could cause the loss of such qualifications.

(w) There has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances by, due to, or caused by the Company (or, to the best of the Company's knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company is or may be liable) upon any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company, or upon any other property, in violation of any statute or any ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit or which would, under any statute or any ordinance, rule (including rule of common law), regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit, give rise to any liability, except for any violation or liability which would not have, singularly or in the aggregate with all such violations and liabilities, a Material Adverse Effect; there has been no disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances with respect to which the Company has knowledge, except for any such disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind which would not have, singularly or in the aggregate with all such discharges and other releases, a Material Adverse Effect.

(x) The Company (i) has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns or has duly requested extensions thereof, (ii) has paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes due and payable for which it is liable, except to the extent that any such taxes are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, and (iii) does not have any tax deficiency or claims outstanding or assessed or, to the best of the Company's knowledge, proposed against it which, in each of the cases described in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) The Company is subject to and in compliance with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the 1934 Act. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the 1934 Act and is listed on the Nasdaq National Market, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the 1934 Act or delisting the Common Stock from the Nasdaq National Market, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the NASD is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.

(z) The Company carries, or is covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its businesses and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries.

(aa) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(bb) The minute books of the Company have been made available to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, and such books (i) contain a complete summary of all meetings and actions of the directors and stockholders of the Company since the time of its respective

incorporation through the date of the latest meeting and action, and (ii) accurately in all material respects reflect all transactions referred to in such minutes.

(cc) There is no franchise, lease, contract, agreement or document required by the Securities Act or by the Rules and Regulations to be described in the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statements which is not described or filed or incorporated by reference therein as required; and all descriptions of any such franchises, leases, contracts, agreements or documents contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statements are accurate and fair descriptions of such documents in all material respects.

(dd) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company on the other hand, which is required to be described in the Prospectus and which is not so described.

(ee) No person or entity has the right to require registration of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company because of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statements, except for persons and entities who have expressly waived such right or who have been given proper notice and have failed to exercise such right within the time or times required under the terms and conditions of such right.

(ff) The Company does not own any "margin securities" as that term is defined in Regulations G and U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve Board"), and none of the proceeds of the sale of the Stock will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the Stock to be considered a "purpose credit" within the meanings of Regulation G, T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.

(gg) The Company is not a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Underwriters for a brokerage commission, finder's fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Stock.

(hh) No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

(ii) The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later of (i) the Closing Date and (ii) the completion of the distribution of the Stock, will not distribute any written offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Stock other than the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or other materials, if any, permitted by the Act.

II. Purchase Sale and Delivery of Offered Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, that number of shares of Stock (rounded up or down, as determined by ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ in its discretion, in order to avoid fractions) obtained by multiplying 2,020,203 shares of Stock by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Stock set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A hereto and the denominator of which is the total number of shares of Stock.

The purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Stock will be $49.50 per share (the "Purchase Price").

The Company will deliver the Stock to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters (in the form of definitive certificates, issued in such names and in such

denominations as the Representative may direct by notice in writing to the Company (such notice to be given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the second full business day preceding the Closing Date (as defined below)), against payment of the aggregate Purchase Price therefor by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, payable to the order of the Company, all at the offices of Shearman & Sterling, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery of the Stock at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The time and date of the delivery and closing shall be at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on June 12, 2001, in accordance with Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act. The time and date of such payment and delivery are herein referred to as the "Closing Date". The Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Stock may be varied by agreement between the Company and ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇.

The Company shall make the certificates for the Stock available to the Representative for examination on behalf of the Underwriters in New York, New York at least twenty-four hours prior to the Closing Date.

The several Underwriters propose to offer the Stock for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

III. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:

(a) The Company will prepare the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if necessary, in a form approved by the Representative and file such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission on the date hereof; prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representative and file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statements or to the Prospectus prior to the Closing Date to which the Representative shall reasonably object by notice to the Company after a reasonable period to review; advise the Representative, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to either Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representative with copies thereof; file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Stock; advise the Representative, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Stock for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.

(b) If at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement when a prospectus relating to the Stock is required to be delivered any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act or the

Exchange Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representative thereof and upon their request will prepare an amended or supplemented Prospectus or make an appropriate filing pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the Exchange Act which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance. The Company will furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request of such amended or supplemented Prospectus; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus relating to the Stock nine months or more after the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement, the Company upon the request of the Representative and at the expense of such Underwriter will prepare promptly an amended or supplemented Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act.

(c) The Company will furnish promptly to the Representative and to counsel for the Underwriters a signed copy of each of the Registration Statements as originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith.

(d) The Company will deliver promptly to the Representative in New York City such number of the following documents as the Representative shall reasonably request: (i) conformed copies of the Registration Statements as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits), (ii) each Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the Prospectus (not later than 10:00 A.M., New York time, of the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement) and any amended or supplemented Prospectus (not later than 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the second business day following the date of such amendment or supplement) and (iv) any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (excluding exhibits thereto).

(e) The Company will make generally available to its stockholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act), an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158).

(f) The Company will promptly take from time to time such actions as the Representative may reasonably request to qualify the Stock for offering and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may designate and to continue such qualifications in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Stock; provided that the Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(g) The Company will not directly or indirectly offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock for a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus without the prior written consent of ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ other than the Company's sale of the Stock hereunder, the issuance of shares (i) pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date hereof, (ii) pursuant to currently outstanding options, warrants or rights, (iii) pursuant to the Company's equity line of credit under the Amended and Restated Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 7, 2000, between the Company and Acqua Wellington North American Equities Fund, Ltd., existing on the date hereof, or (iv) pursuant to the First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated July 19, 2000, between the Company and ▇▇▇▇▇ Fargo Bank Minnesota, N.A.; the Company will cause each of its executive officers and directors to furnish to the Representative, prior to the Closing Date, a lock-up letter, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto.

(h) The Company will supply the Representative with copies of all correspondence to and from, and all documents issued to and by, the Commission in connection with the registration of the Stock under the Securities Act.

(i) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company will not issue any press release or other communication directly or indirectly or hold any press conference with respect to the Company, its condition, financial or otherwise, or earnings, business affairs or business prospects (except for routine oral marketing communications in the ordinary course of business and consistent with the past practices of the Company and of which the Representative is notified), without the prior written consent of the Representative, unless in the judgment of the Company and its counsel, and after notification to the Representative, such press release or communication is required by law.

(j) The Company will comply with its obligations under Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

(k) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Stock as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading "Use of Proceeds."

IV. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees with the Underwriters to pay (a) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Stock and any taxes payable in that connection; (b) the costs incident to the Registration of the Stock under the Securities Act; (c) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and distribution of the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus any amendments and exhibits thereto or any document incorporated by reference therein including the costs of printing, reproducing and distributing the "Agreement Among Underwriters" between the Representative and the Underwriters, the Master Selected Dealers' Agreement, the Underwriters' Questionnaire and this Agreement by mail, telex or other means of communications; (d) the fees and expenses (including related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters) incurred in connection with filings made with the National Association of Securities Dealers; (e) any applicable listing or other fees; (f) the fees and expenses of qualifying the Stock under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions as provided in Section III(f) and of preparing, printing and distributing Blue Sky Memoranda and Legal Investment Surveys (including related fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters); (g) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Stock; and (h) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement (including, without limitation, the fees and expenses of the Company's counsel and the Company's independent accountants); provided that, except as otherwise provided in this Section IV and in Section VIII, the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses, including the fees and expenses of their counsel, any transfer taxes on the Stock which they may sell and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Stock made by the Underwriters.

V. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The respective obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on the Closing Date, of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of their obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:

(a) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of either the Registration Statements shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request for additional information on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representative. The Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, and the Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in accordance with Section III(a).

(b) None of the Underwriters shall have discovered and disclosed to the Company on or prior to the Closing Date that the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto contains an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(c) All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of each of this Agreement, the Stock, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriters, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(d) ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ shall have furnished to the Representative such counsel's written opinion, as counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, substantially in the form set forth as Exhibit B hereto.

(e) The Representative shall have received a written opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Suvari, General Counsel to the Company, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative substantially in the form set forth as Exhibit C hereto.

(f) The Representative shall have received from Shearman & Sterling, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to such matters as the Underwriters may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to pass upon such matters.

(g) On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative (i) confirming that they are independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and (ii) stating the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus.

(h) The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of its Chairman of the Board, its President or a Vice President and its chief financial officer stating that (i) such officers have carefully examined the Registration Statements and the Prospectus and, in their opinion, the Registration Statements as of their respective effective dates and the Prospectus, as of each such effective date, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) since the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement no event has occurred which should have been set forth in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statements or the Prospectus, (iii) to the best of their knowledge after reasonable investigation, as of the Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date, and (iv) subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or results of operation of the Company, or any change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company, except as set forth in the Prospectus.

(i) No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Stock; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Stock.

(j) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company's debt securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) of the Rules and Regulations and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading), its rating of any of the Company's debt securities.

(k) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq National Market or the American Stock Exchange or in the over-the-counter market, or trading in any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or minimum prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by Federal or state authorities, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such) as to make it, in the judgment of the Representative, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Stock on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(l) The National Market System shall have approved the Stock for quotation, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(m) ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ shall have received the written agreements, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, of the officers, and directors of the Company.

All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.

VI. Indemnification and Contribution.

(a) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its officers, employees, representatives and agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act (collectively the "Underwriter Indemnified Parties" and, each an "Underwriter Indemnified Party") against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which that Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and shall reimburse each Underwriter Indemnified Party promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriter's Information (as defined in Section XIV). This indemnity agreement is not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability which the Company might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to each Underwriter Indemnified Party.

(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its officers, employees, representatives and agents, each of its directors and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act (collectively the "Company Indemnified Parties" and each a "Company Indemnified Party") against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which the Company Indemnified Parties may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of that Underwriter specifically for use therein, and shall reimburse the Company Indemnified Parties for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such parties in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided that the parties hereto hereby agree that such written information provided by the Underwriters consists solely of the Underwriter's Information. This indemnity agreement is not exclusive and will be in addition to any liability which the Underwriters might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available at law or in equity to the Company Indemnified Parties.

(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section VI of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section VI, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section VI except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure; and, provided, further, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section VI. If any such claim or action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under this Section VI for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that any indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to participate in the defense thereof but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the indemnifying party in writing, (ii) such indemnified party shall have been advised by such counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party and in the reasonable judgment of such counsel it is advisable for such indemnified party to employ separate counsel or (iii) the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense of such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, in which case, if such indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party, it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified parties, which firm shall be designated in writing by ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, if the indemnified parties under this Section VI consist of any Underwriter Indemnified Party, or by the Company if the indemnified parties under this Section VI consist of any Company Indemnified Parties. Each indemnified party, as a condition of the indemnity agreements contained in Sections VI(a) and VI(b), shall use all reasonable efforts to cooperate with the indemnifying party in the defense of any such action or claim. Subject to the provisions of Section VI(d) below, no indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with its written consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.

(d) If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested that an indemnifying party reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by this Section VI effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the request for reimbursement, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section VI is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section VI(a) or VI(b) then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Stock or if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to the statements or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Stock purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the Stock purchased under this Agreement, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission; provided that the parties hereto agree that the written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of the Underwriters for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, either of the Registration Statements or the Prospectus consists solely of the Underwriter's Information. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section VI(e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section VI(e) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section VI(e), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section VI(e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Stock underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public less the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

The Underwriters' obligations to contribute as provided in this Section VI(e) are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

VII. Termination. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, in its discretion by notice given to and received by the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Stock if, prior to that time, any of the events described in Sections V(i), V(k) or V(l) have occurred or if the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement.

VIII. Reimbursement of Underwriters' Expenses. If: (a) this Agreement shall have been terminated pursuant to Section VII, (b) the Company shall fail to tender the Stock for delivery to the Underwriters for any reason permitted under this Agreement, or (c) the Underwriters shall decline to

purchase the Stock for any reason permitted under this Agreement the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for the fees and expenses of their counsel and for such other out-of-pocket expenses as shall have been reasonably incurred by them in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Stock, and upon demand the Company shall pay the full amount thereof to ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇.

IX. Successors; Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person other than the persons mentioned in the preceding sentence any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of no other person; except that the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and indemnities of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties, and the indemnities of the several Underwriters shall also be for the benefit of the Company Indemnified Parties.

X. Survival of Indemnities, Representations, Warranties, etc. The respective indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by them respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any person controlling any of them and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Stock.

XI. Notices. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:

(a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇;

(b) if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to CV Therapeutics, Inc. Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Suvari;

provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section VI shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its acceptance telex to the Representative, which address will be supplied to any other party hereto by the Representative upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof.

XII. Definition of Certain Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) "business day" means any day on which the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. is open for trading and (b) "subsidiary" has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations.

XIII. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

XIV. Underwriters' Information. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, for all purposes of this Agreement, the Underwriters' Information consists solely of the following information in the Prospectus: (i) the last paragraph on the front cover page concerning the terms of the offering by the Underwriters; and (ii) the statements concerning the Underwriters under the heading "Underwriting" contained in (a) the third paragraph of text concerning the terms of the offering, and (b) the sixth paragraph of text concerning stabilization by the Underwriters.

XV. Authority of the Representative. In connection with this Agreement, you will act for and on behalf of the several Underwriters, and any action taken under this Agreement by the Representative, will be binding on all the Underwriters.

XVI. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

XVII. General. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. In this Agreement, the masculine, feminine and neuter genders and the singular and the plural include one another. The section headings in this Agreement are for the convenience of the parties only and will not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended or modified, and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived, only by a writing signed by the Company and the Representative.

XVIII. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of the agreement between the Company, and the several Underwriters, kindly indicate your acceptance in the space provided for that purpose below.


		Very truly yours,
		CV THERAPEUTICS, INC.
		By:	/s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, M.D., Ph.D. Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, M.D., Ph.D. Title: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
Accepted as of the date first above written:
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ SECURITIES CORPORATION
	Acting on its own behalf and as Representative of several Underwriters referred to in the foregoing Agreement
By:	▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ SECURITIES CORPORATION
By:	/s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Title: Managing Director

SCHEDULE A

Name		Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation
TOTAL		2,020,203

EXHIBIT A

Form of Lock-Up Agreement

June [ ], 2001

▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation
As representative of the
several Underwriters
c/o ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇

Re: Offering of 2,020,203 Shares of Common Stock of CV Therapeutics, Inc.

Dear Sirs:

In order to induce ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Securities Corporation ("▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇") the "Representative"), to enter into a certain underwriting agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") with CV Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), with respect to the public offering of shares of the Company's common stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Common Stock"), the undersigned hereby agrees that for a period of 90 days following the date of the final prospectus filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with such public offering, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, directly or indirectly, offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, any shares of Common Stock (including, without limitation, Common Stock which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time (such shares, the "Beneficially Owned Shares")) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.

The foregoing paragraph shall not apply to the sale of up to an aggregate of 150,000 shares of Common Stock held by officers and directors of the Company signing a lock-up agreement in connection with the public offering, the allocation of such shares among such officers and directors to be determined by the Company in its sole discretion.

In addition, the undersigned hereby waives, from the date hereof until the expiration of the ninety day period following the date of the Company's final prospectus, any and all rights, if any, to request or demand registration pursuant to the Securities Act of any shares of Common Stock that are registered in the name of the undersigned or that are Beneficially Owned Shares. In order to enable the aforesaid covenants to be enforced, the undersigned hereby consents to the placing of legends and/or stop-transfer orders with the transfer agent of the Common Stock with respect to any shares of Common Stock or Beneficially Owned Shares.

		By:
			Name: Title:

Exhibit B

Form of Opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

1. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Based solely on certificates from public officials, such counsel shall confirm that the Company is qualified to do business in the State of California.

2. The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized and, when issued to and paid for by the Underwriters in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, free of preemptive rights.

3. The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement will not result in the violation by the Company of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or Restated Bylaws, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or any federal or California statute, rule or regulation known to such counsel to be applicable to the Company (other than federal or state securities laws, which are specifically addressed elsewhere herein); and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing with, any federal or California court or governmental agency or body is required for the consummation of the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of such Shares by the Underwriters.

4. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act and, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor have been initiated by the Commission; and any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act has been made in accordance with Rule 424(b) and 430A under the Act.

5. The Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements for registration statements on Form S-3 under the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; it being understood, however, that such counsel need express no opinion with respect to the financial statements, schedules or other financial data included or incorporated by reference in, or omitted from, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. In passing upon the compliance as to form of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, such counsel may assume that the statements made and incorporated by reference therein are correct and complete.

6. The statements set forth in the Base Prospectus under the headings and "General Description of Securities" and "Description of Common Stock" and in the Prospectus Supplement under the heading "Underwriting" insofar as such statements constitute a summary of legal matters, are accurate in all material respects.

7. The Company is not an "investment company" as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

Such counsel shall also have furnished to the Representative a written Statement, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, to the effect that such counsel has participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company, representatives of the independent public accountants for the Company, and representatives of the Underwriters, at which the contents of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and related matters were discussed and, although such counsel need not pass upon, or assume any responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and need not make any independent check or verification thereof, during the course of such participation, no facts came to such counsel's attention that caused such counsel to believe that the Registration Statement, at the time

it became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or that the Prospectus (including the Incorporated Documents), as of its date or as of the date hereof, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; it being understood that such counsel need express no belief with respect to the financial statements, schedules and other financial and statistical data included or incorporated by reference in, or omitted from, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

B–2

Exhibit C

Opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Suvari

1. The issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement will not result in the breach of or any default under any indentures, notes, loan agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust, security agreements and other written agreements and instruments creating, evidencing or securing indebtedness of the Company for borrowed money that are listed as exhibits to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000 or the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2001 (collectively, the "Material Agreements").

2. To the best of such counsel's knowledge, the Company (i) is not in violation of its certificate of incorporation or bylaws, (ii) is not in default, and no event has occurred, which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any of the Material Agreements, and (iii) is not in violation of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court decree to which it or its property or assets may be subject and has obtained such licenses, permits, certificates, franchises or other governmental authorizations or permits necessary to the ownership of its property or to the conduct of its business, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), for those defaults, violations or failures which, either individually or in the aggregate, would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the Company.

3. To the best of such counsel's knowledge, there are no legal or governmental proceedings involving the Company required to be described in the Prospectus that are not described as required.

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Schedule A
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C

2,020,203 Shares Common Stock UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

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