FDA assigns CTIs' pixantrone NDA new PDUFA action date

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. ("CTI") (NASDAQ and MTA: CTIC) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ("FDA") Division of Oncology Products 1 ("DOP1") has notified CTI that CTI's October 2011 resubmitted New Drug Application ("NDA") is considered a complete, Class 2 response to the FDA's April 2010 complete response letter ("CRL"). The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act ("PDUFA") goal date of April 24, 2012 for a decision on the NDA.   The NDA seeks accelerated approval of pixantrone to treat relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ("NHL") in patients who failed two or more lines of prior therapy.

Pixantrone is also under review for marketing approval in Europe with a Committee for Human Medicinal Products ("CHMP") opinion on the application tentatively scheduled on January 19, 2012.

"We look forward to working with the FDA and the European Medicines Agency ("EMA") to bring this drug to patients for whom there are currently no approved therapies," James A. Bianco, M.D. Chief Executive Officer stated.

CTI appealed the CRL for the pixantrone NDA based on the results of the PIX301 clinical trial. The FDA's Office of New Drugs ("OND") responded to CTI's appeal by providing CTI with an opportunity to resubmit the NDA with additional information, but without conducting an additional clinical trial. In June 2011, CTI met with the DOP1 to review CTI's plans for responding to the items noted in the CRL including CTI's plans for addressing the items noted by the OND in response to the appeal.