TUSTIN, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jay Treat, Ph.D., head of business development for Avid Bioservices, Inc., a subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM), today presented at the IBC Biopharmaceutical Production Week conference on Retrofitting & Building Facilities held in San Diego, CA.

Dr. Treat's presentation titled Characteristics of Powder Cell Culture Media Manufacturing and Impact on the Biological Production Process gave attendees an in-depth overview on how to effectively handle powder cell culture media in a multi-use, multi-product contract manufacturing facility. Dr. Treat discussed the impact of powder on (1) media screening nutrient optimization programs, (2) process optimization programs, (3) variability in expression levels, (4) variability in product quality such as glycosylation, (5) cleaning and mixing validations, (6) dust generation and possible cross contamination, (7) wear on HVAC and HEPA systems, (8) identification of source and components in proprietary formulations.

"Media formulation and optimization is a critical step in the development of any cGMP manufacturing process," said Steven King, Avid's president. "Avid is fortunate to have in house expertise in the area of media formulation and optimization as well as handling of media and other specialized raw materials at large scale."

About Avid Bioservices

Avid Bioservices provides a full range of cGMP manufacturing services for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. The company's comprehensive package of services includes highly specialized cell culture, process and analytical development work, in addition to full-scale manufacturing, purification, bulk packaging, and regulatory support. For more information about Avid, please visit www.avidbio.com.

Safe Harbor Statement: This release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results may differ from the company's expectations as a result of risk factors discussed in Peregrine's reports on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the company's report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2002 and on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2002.

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SOURCE Peregrine Pharmaceuticals

-0- 11/19/2002

/CONTACT: Frank Hawkins and Julie Marshall, both of Hawk Associates, Inc., +1-800-987-8256, or info@hawkassociates.com, for Peregrine Pharmaceuticals/

/Web site: http://www.peregrineinc.com