-Versatile Technology Significantly Reduces Complexity, Cost and Time Needed to Manufacture Labeled Biological Agents-

-Initially Developed for Radiolabeled Cancer Drugs but Also Potentially Applicable to Other Diagnostic and Therapeutic Agents-

-Utility Already Proven with Peregrine's Phase II Brain Cancer Therapeutic Cotara(R)-

TUSTIN, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that it has been awarded a European patent for a novel device and methods for linking biological agents to labels for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The technology, which is known as In-Line labeling, was developed for the production of radiolabeled anti-cancer antibodies, but is applicable to other agents as well. A study published today in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine confirms that In-Line labeling can dramatically reduce the complexity and cost of producing radiolabeled cancer drugs(1). In-Line labeling is already being used for the production of Peregrine's radiolabeled antibody Cotara(R), currently in Phase II trials for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer.

Radiolabeled drugs are important for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple cancers. However, the labeling process itself has been complex, slow, expensive and challenging to scale-up, which may have contributed to the historic underutilization of these valuable agents. Peregrine's new process replaces the traditional 'batch' labeling method with a continuous In-Line flow process, where the individual constituents are kept separate at the beginning and then are allowed to flow together in a reaction tube, where the labeling process occurs. The In-Line process can prepare enormous amounts of radiolabeled product by simply keeping the constituents flowing continuously along the tube.

Missag H. Parseghian, Ph.D., senior director of R&D at Peregrine and senior author of the new publication, commented, 'The continuous In-Line process requires no sophisticated instrumentation and can be implemented in almost any radiation facility. Importantly, performance-related characteristics of the resulting drug product, such as binding potency and structural integrity, are maintained by the In-Line labeling process.'

'This new In-Line labeling process is elegant in its simplicity but dramatic in the benefits achieved,' said Steven W. King, president and CEO of Peregrine. 'The process is extremely versatile and easy to use, and it can produce large quantities of labeled drug product rapidly, reliably and cost-effectively.