EpiCept Announces EPC2407 Generic Name is Crinobulin

EpiCept Announces EPC2407 Generic Name is Crinobulin 

TARRYTOWN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and OMX Nordic
Exchange: EPCT) today announced that the United States Adopted Names Council
(USAN) has approved “crinobulin” as the generic name for EPC2407, the company's
novel, small molecule vascular disruption agent (VDA) and apoptosis inducer for
the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors and lymphomas. 

Crinobulin has shown promising vascular targeting activity with potent
anti-tumor activity in both pre-clinical and early clinical studies. In
pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies, crinobulin has been shown to induce
tumor cell apoptosis and selectively inhibit growth of proliferating cell lines,
including multi-drug resistant cell lines. Murine models of human tumor
xenografts demonstrated that crinobulin inhibits growth of established tumors of
a number of different cancer types. 

In terms of clinical activity, the preliminary results of 33 patients treated in
a Phase I dose escalating monotherapy study provided visible radiographic
evidence of vascular disruptive activity. A wide variety of advanced tumor
types, including hepatic, pancreatic, non-small cell lung, colon, prostate and
gastrointestinal cancers, as well as metastatic melanoma, and parotid carcinoma
- have been treated with crinobulin. Crinobulin, administered over a four-hour
intravenous infusion for a cycle of three days, caused no thrombocytopenia,
leucopenia, or neutropenia at any dose studied. In addition, it did not cause
renal or hepatic dysfunction. Crinobulin has been well tolerated and
administered for up to eight cycles with stable disease for six month's
duration. 

EpiCept is currently evaluating the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects
of crinobulin with different dosage schedules from the Phase I study and expects
to initiate a Phase Ib combination trial with crinobulin in combination with
other chemotherapeutic agents in the second half of 2009. 

About EpiCept Corporation 

EpiCept is focused on unmet needs in the treatment of cancer and pain. The
Company's broad portfolio of pharmaceutical product candidates includes
Ceplene®, a cytokine immunomodulator that recently received marketing
authorization in Europe for the remission maintenance of AML patients, and
several pain therapies in clinical development. Two oncology drug candidates
currently in clinical development that were discovered using in-house technology
have also been shown to act as vascular disruption agents in a variety of solid
tumors. 

Forward-Looking Statements 

This news release and any oral statements made with respect to the information
contained in this news release, contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements include statements which express plans, anticipation,
intent, contingency, goals, targets, future development and are otherwise not
statements of historical fact. These statements are based on our current
expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results or developments to be materially different from historical results or
from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Factors that may cause actual results or developments to differ materially
include: the risk that our announced public offering will not close, risks
associated with the adequacy of our existing cash resources and our ability to
continue as a going concern, the risks associated with our ability to continue
to meet our obligations under our existing debt agreements, the risk that our
securities may be delisted by The Nasdaq Capital Market or the OMX Nordic
Exchange and that any appeal of the delisting determination may not be
successful, the risk that Ceplene® will not receive regulatory approval or
marketing authorization in the U.S. or Canada, the risk that Ceplene® will not
be launched in Europe in the first half of 2009 or achieve significant
commercial success, the risk that we are unable to find a suitable marketing
partner for Ceplene® on attractive terms, a timely basis or at all, the risk
that any required post-approval clinical study will not be successful, the risk
that we will not be able to maintain its final regulatory approval or marketing
authorization, the risk that Myriad's development of Azixa™ will not be
successful, the risk that Azixa™ will not receive regulatory approval or achieve
significant commercial success, the risk that we will not receive any
significant payments under our agreement with Myriad, the risk that the
development of our other apoptosis product candidates will not be successful,
the risk that we will not be able to find a buyer for our ASAP technology, the
risk that clinical trials for NP-1 or crinobulin will not be successful, the
risk that NP-1 or crinobulin will not receive regulatory approval or achieve
significant commercial success, the risk that we will not be able to find a
partner to help conduct the Phase III trials for NP-1 on attractive terms or a
timely basis at all, the risk that our other product candidates that appeared
promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or
efficacy in larger-scale or later stage clinical trials, the risk that we will
not obtain approval to market any of our other product candidates, the risks
associated with our dependence upon key personnel, the risks associated with
reliance on collaborative partners and others for further clinical trials,
development, manufacturing and commercialization of our product candidates; the
cost, delays and uncertainties associated with our scientific research, product
development, clinical trials and regulatory approval process; our history of
operating losses since our inception; the highly competitive nature of our
business; risks associated with litigation; and risks associated with our
ability to protect our intellectual property. These factors and other material
risks are more fully discussed in our periodic reports, including its reports on
Forms 8-K, 10-Q and 10-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. You are urged to carefully review and consider the disclosures found
in our filings, which are available at www.sec.gov or at www.epicept.com. You
are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, any
of which could turn out to be wrong due to inaccurate assumptions, unknown risks
or uncertainties or other risk factors. 

EPCT-GEN 


EpiCept Corporation:
Robert W. Cook, 914-606-3500
rcook@epicept.com
or
Media:
Feinstein Kean Healthcare
Greg Kelley, 617-577-8110
gregory.kelley@fkhealth.com
or
Investors:
Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates
Kim Sutton Golodetz, 212-838-3777
kgolodetz@lhai.com
or
Bruce Voss, 310-691-7100
bvoss@lhai.com