( - Peregrine's Selective Anti-VEGF...)Data Presented at AACR Meeting Shows Peregrine's Selective,Anti-VEGF Antibodies are as Effective as Avastin(R) in Preclinical,Cancer Models,Health

    - Peregrine's Selective Anti-VEGF Antibodies Inhibited Tumor Growth By

                     90% In a Preclinical Cancer Model -

- Peregrine's Antibodies that Selectively Inhibit VEGF Receptor 2 Could

Potentially Have Advantages over Non-Selective Approaches -

- These Results Along with Data Presented on a Fully Human Antibody Support

Advancing Peregrine's Anti-VEGF Program towards Clinical Trials -

LOS ANGELES and TUSTIN, Calif., April 16, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, today reported that preclinical data presented at the Centennial Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) showed that its monoclonal antibody 2C3, which selectively blocks vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from binding to the second of the two VEGF receptors, demonstrates potent anti-cancer efficacy in a preclinical orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer. In this model, treatment with 2C3 reduced the growth of pancreatic tumors by 90%. The researchers also assessed the anti-tumor activity of 2C3 and the marketed anti-cancer agent Avastin(R) in a number of preclinical cancer models. The anti-tumor activity of 2C3, which only blocks VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) compared favorably to that of Avastin, which blocks VEGF binding to both VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and VEGFR2.

VEGF is a primary stimulant of the development and maintenance of the blood vessels needed by tumors to survive and grow. It is thought to work by binding to and activating two receptors that are expressed on endothelial and other types of cells. The series of studies reported today tested the hypothesis that selectively inhibiting VEGFR2 is an equally effective anti-tumor strategy to blocking both receptors. Most of t
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