Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Sponsors Education Day During Brain Tumor Action Week; Week of May 5-11 Includes Advocacy Events and Candlelight Vigil.

Business Editors & Health/Education Writers

TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2002

In an effort to promote awareness of brain tumors and advocate the development and funding of innovative treatment options, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:PPHM) is sponsoring today's Brain Tumor Action Week Education Day.

Education Day activities, held at the Hotel Washington in Washington D.C. from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., mark the beginning of the fifth annual Brain Tumor Action Week. Organized by the North American Brain Tumor Coalition (NABTC), the day's event involves brain tumor advocates from around the nation and includes meetings with members of Congress and workshops on legislative, research and funding issues and clinical trials.

According to NABTC, more than 185,000 people in the United States and 10,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor each year. Brain tumors are now the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20 and the third-leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20 to 39.

Metastatic brain tumors (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20% to 40% of people with cancer. Approximately 350,000 individuals are living with the diagnosis of a brain tumor in North America.

Activities continue in Washington D.C. tomorrow, with Capitol Hill visits to state representatives by brain tumor advocates, who will present their requests for increased funding for brain tumor research and the development of and access to better treatments. A candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Netherlands Carillon (next to the Marine Corps Iwo Jima War Memorial). The event will celebrate and honor those who have struggled with brain tumors.

For more information about Brain Tumor Action Week and how individuals can participate in community events, visit http://www.nabraintumor.org/events.html.

Peregrine's Tumor Necrosis Therapy drug Cotara(TM) targets DNA-associated antigens in the nucleus of necrotic cancer cells and delivers high doses of radiation to tumor cells. Cotara is currently in a multi-center Phase II clinical study for the treatment of recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer.

Final preparations are being made to start a multi-center, multi-national Phase III study for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. Cotara has received fast track and orphan drug status from the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of brain cancer.

About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, commercialization and licensing of unique technologies for the treatment of cancer, primarily based on its three "collateral targeting technologies."

Peregrine's Tumor Necrosis Therapy (TNT), Vasopermeation Enhancement Agents (VEA) and Vascular Targeting Agents (VTA) target cell structures and cell types that are common among solid tumor cancers, giving them broad applicability across various tumor types.

The company's lead TNT anti-cancer drug, Cotara(TM), is currently in multi-center Phase I and II clinical trials for brain, colorectal, pancreas, liver, soft tissue sarcoma and biliary cancers.

Peregrine's Oncolym(R), for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's B-cell Lymphoma, is currently in a multi-center Phase I/II study. For more information, visit http://www.peregrineinc.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, 2001 and on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Jan. 31, 2002.