Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Names Leading Viral Experts to Its Scientific Resource Board

- Addition of Thought Leaders Alfred M. Prince, M.D. and Peter Barry, Ph.D.

Strengthens Peregrine's Programs in Hepatitis C and Cytomegalovirus -

TUSTIN, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM), a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, clinical stage product candidates for viral diseases and cancer, announced today the appointment of Alfred M. Prince, M.D., a hepatitis expert, and Peter Barry, Ph.D., a leader in the study of cytomegalovirus (CMV), to its Scientific Resource Board. Their expertise in specific viral infections will support Peregrine's development of Tarvacin™ Anti-Viral, an investigational monoclonal antibody therapy with unique anti-viral properties. Tarvacin Anti-Viral is in a Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection (HCV) and is being studied preclinically for use in the treatment of CMV, HIV and influenza infections.

Dr. Prince is a world-renowned virologist with a focus on hepatitis and he was the first to report the existence of the virus now termed hepatitis C. Dr. Prince is founding chairman of the Hepatitis Research Foundation and currently serves as head of the Laboratory of Virology for The New York Blood Center.

Dr. Barry's research addresses how CMV, a clinically serious infection in infants and immuno-compromised adults, affects the host organism during the course of infection, as well as mechanisms of CMV persistence and pathogenesis for this ubiquitous member of the herpes virus family. His laboratory was instrumental in developing the only existing non-human primate model for human CMV. Dr. Barry is currently an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis. He is also a core faculty member of the Center for Comparative Medicine and a staff scientist at the California National Primate Research Center. Additional biographical material on both researchers follows below.

"The addition of Dr. Prince's and Dr. Barry's expertise will be instrumental as we continue our clinical study of Tarvacin Anti-Viral in patients with chronic hepatitis C and evaluate future clinical studies in the treatment of CMV," said Steven King, president and CEO of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals. "They join our Scientific Resource Board at an exciting time for our anti-viral program. Both HCV and CMV currently lack adequate therapies and we are optimistic that Tarvacin Anti-Viral may have promise as an effective new therapeutic approach."

Peregrine is conducting a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate Tarvacin Anti-Viral in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection, which is an important source of disability and death among the estimated 3.9 million infected Americans and is also the major cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. Earlier this year, Peregrine presented promising preclinical data supporting the potential of Tarvacin Anti-Viral for the treatment of CMV, which can cause serious health problems for individuals with a compromised immune system.

Tarvacin is an antibody that attaches to phospholipids, specific cellular components that are exposed on the surface of virally infected cells and on enveloped virus particles. Peregrine has reported that Tarvacin binds to members of six different families of enveloped viruses. Tarvacin also binds to phospholipids exposed on solid tumor blood vessels and is currently in a Phase I clinical trial for patients with advanced refractory solid tumors.

As members of the Peregrine SRB, Drs. Barry and Prince will be joining Drs. Preston Marx and Stephen Smith, who provide expertise in the treatment of HIV and other viral indications and Drs. Philip Thorpe and Melina Soares who developed the Tarvacin Anti-Viral platform.

Peter Barry, Ph.D.

Dr. Barry has extensive experience in many aspects of virology, cell biology, immunology and molecular biology with a main emphasis on the elucidation of the mechanisms of rhesus CMV persistence and pathogenesis as a non-human primate model of human CMV. Development of the macaque model is important because human CMV is strictly species-specific and macaques share strong immunologic, physiologic, developmental and evolutionary relationships with humans. Dr. Barry's research goals have addressed two broad areas. The first focuses on the mechanisms enabling the virus to establish lifelong persistence in an immunocompetent host despite the development of vigorous antiviral immune responses. In particular, his research focuses on those viral proteins that modulate host immune response. The second research focus is directed towards a better understanding of the mechanisms of CMV pathogenesis in rhesus monkeys during fetal infection and simian AIDS, two highly relevant models of human CMV disease in humans. Knowledge from these two research interests is being applied by Dr. Barry's laboratory towards the development of novel anti-CMV vaccines and chemotherapeutic strategies to limit CMV infection and disease potential.

Alfred Prince, M.D.

Dr. Prince is a world-renowned virologist with expert focus on hepatitis. Currently, Dr. Prince is head of the Laboratory of Virology for The New York Blood Center, research professor of pathology at New York University School of Medicine, founding chairman of the Hepatitis Research Foundation and founding chairman of the International Consortium for Blood Safety. Dr. Prince was first to demonstrate the role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in chronic liver disease; introduced the world's first blood screening for HBV at the New York Blood Center; was first to report the existence of the virus now termed HCV that causes post-transfusion hepatitis distinct from HBV; developed the first low-cost HBV vaccine; developed the first procedure for sterilization of blood to eliminate the risk of HBV, HCV and HIV transmission by blood products; developed an immunotherapy for chronic HBV infection in a chimpanzee model; founded the International Task Force for Hepatitis B Immunization which accelerated universal immunization against HBV worldwide; founded the International Consortium for Blood Safety and developed a multivalent vaccine candidate for HBV, HCV and HIV.

About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative product candidates in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and viral diseases. The company is pursuing three separate clinical trials in cancer and anti-viral indications with its lead product candidates Tarvacin™ and Cotara®. Peregrine also has in-house manufacturing capabilities through its wholly owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. (www.avidbio.com), which provides development and biomanufacturing services for both Peregrine and outside customers. Additional information about Peregrine can be found at www.peregrineinc.com.

SOURCE Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.



CONTACT: Investors, Barbara Lindheim, +1-800-987-8256, or Media, Stephen Gendel, +1-212-918-4650, ir@peregrineinc.com, both of GendeLLindheim BioCom Partners, for Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.