European Regulatory Authorities Supportive of Pixantrone Marketing Authorization Application Submission to European Medicines Agency (EMEA)

SEATTLE, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) (the "Company") today announced that it met with and received feedback from the rapporteurs and the European Medicines Agency's (the "EMEA") medical reviewers regarding a proposed filing of a Marketing Authorization Application ("MAA") for pixantrone in the European Union to treat relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ("NHL"). The rapporteurs, who are assigned by the EMEA, are responsible for providing scientific advice on the evaluation of medicinal products. The feedback was supportive of filing on the basis of the PIX301 trial and the Company expects to submit the MAA in September 2010.

"Both the rapporteurs and medical reviewers felt that the totality of the efficacy data from the PIX301 trial including the complete response rate, overall response rate, progression-free survival and the trend in overall survival supports a MAA submission and review," said Jack Singer, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the Company. "Relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL beyond second line therapy represents a significant unmet medical need in European Union and pixantrone has been granted orphan drug status in this indication. We will work diligently to move the application forward as quickly as possible," Singer added.

About Pixantrone

Pixantrone is a novel aza-anthracenedione that has distinct structural and physio-chemical properties that make its anti-tumor activity unique in this class of agents. Similar to anthracyclines, pixantrone inhibits Topo-isomerase II but unlike anthracyclines--rather than intercalation with DNA--, pixantrone alkylates DNA--forming stable DNA adducts, with particular specificity for CpG rich, hyper-methylated sites. These structural differences resulted in significantly enhanced anti-lymphoma activity compared to doxorubicin in preclinical models. In addition, the structural motifs on anthracycline-like agents that are responsible for the generation of oxygen free radicals and the formation of toxic drug-metal complexes have also been modified in pixantrone to prevent the binding of iron and perpetuation of superoxide production,--both of which are the putative mechanism for anthracycline induced acute cardiotoxicity. These novel pharmacologic differences may allow re-introduction of anthracycline like potency in the treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma without unacceptable rates of cardiotoxicity.

About Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Headquartered in Seattle, the Company is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing an integrated portfolio of oncology products aimed at making cancer more treatable. For additional information, please visit www.CellTherapeutics.com.

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This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, the outcome of which could materially and/or adversely affect actual future results and the trading price of the Company's securities. Specifically, the risks and uncertainties that could affect the development of pixantrone include risks associated with preclinical and clinical developments in the biopharmaceutical industry in general, and with pixantrone in particular, including, without limitation, the potential failure of pixantrone to prove safe and effective for the treatment of relapsed or refractory, aggressive NHL as determined by the EMEA, that the Company may not submit the MAA in September 2010, that the EMEA may not accept the MAA, the Company's ability to continue to raise capital as needed to fund its operations, competitive factors, technological developments, costs of developing, producing and selling pixantrone, and the risk factors listed or described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, the Company's most recent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not intend to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Cell Therapeutics, Inc.