SEATTLE, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CTI BioPharma Corp. (NASDAQ: CTIC) today announced that following a planned second interim data review of the PAC203 study by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC), the study will continue to the full enrollment of 150 patients. The IDMC did not identify significant drug- or dose-related safety concerns and specifically did not identify any concerns around hemorrhagic or cardiac toxicity. Following consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the IDMC, the Company restricted this interim analysis to a safety review thereby allowing the study to continue to full enrollment. Continuing to full enrollment allows collection of a complete dataset (including efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data) that will be used to determine the optimal dose for further development. Prior to the second interim analysis and with the agreement of the IDMC, the Company had submitted a protocol amendment to the FDA, establishing safety reviews as the basis for the second interim analysis and for subsequent interim analyses.

"Continuing the PAC203 study with all three treatment arms allows us to obtain the maximum amount of data to determine the optimal dose for our planned Phase 3 registrational study, which is expected to address a patient population with severe thrombocytopenia," said Adam R. Craig, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of CTI BioPharma.

"The PAC203 study is on track to complete its objective and we continue to expect to complete enrollment by the end of 2018. We plan to present clinical data at an upcoming medical conference, potentially at the ASCO conference in 2019."

The PAC203 study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of three dosing schedules (100 mg once daily, 100 mg twice daily and 200 mg twice daily) over 24 weeks in patients with myelofibrosis previously treated with ruxolitinib. More information on the PAC203 trial can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03165734.

About PacritinibPacritinib is an investigational oral kinase inhibitor with specificity for JAK2, FLT3, IRAK1 and CSF1R. The JAK family of enzymes is a central component in signal transduction pathways, which are critical to normal blood cell growth and development, as well as inflammatory cytokine expression and immune responses. Mutations in these kinases have been shown to be directly related to the development of a variety of blood-related cancers, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, leukemia and lymphoma. In addition to myelofibrosis, the kinase profile of pacritinib suggests its potential therapeutic utility in conditions such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), due to its inhibition of c-fms, IRAK1, JAK2 and FLT3.

About Myelofibrosis and Myeloproliferative NeoplasmsMyelofibrosis is one of three main types of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), which are a closely related group of progressive blood cancers. The three main types of MPNs are primary myelofibrosis (PMF), polycethemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET).

Myelofibrosis is a serious and life-threatening bone marrow disorder caused by the accumulation of malignant bone marrow cells that triggers an inflammatory response and scars the bone marrow. The replacement of bone marrow with scar tissue limits its ability to produce red blood cells, prompting the spleen and liver to take over this function. Symptoms that arise from this disease include enlargement of the spleen, anemia, extreme fatigue and pain.

The estimated prevalence of MPNs suggest there are approximately 300,000 people living with the disease in the U.S., of which myelofibrosis accounts for approximately 18,000 patients. In Europe, there is a wide variation of prevalence observed across data sources. Myelofibrosis has a median age of 64 at the time of diagnosis and is a progressive disease with approximately 20 percent of patients eventually developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The median survival for high-risk myelofibrosis patients is less than 1.5 years, while the median survival for patients with myelofibrosis overall is approximately 6 years.

About CTI BioPharma Corp.CTI BioPharma Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of novel targeted therapies covering a spectrum of blood-related cancers that offer a unique benefit to patients and healthcare providers. The CTI BioPharma lead product candidate, pacritinib, is being developed for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis. CTI BioPharma is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations regarding, the timing of and results from clinical trials and development activities related to pacritinib, the potential efficacy, safety profile, future development plans, addressable market, regulatory success and commercial potential of pacritinib, the anticipated timing of regulatory submissions, the efficacy of, and potential changes to, our clinical trial designs and anticipated enrollment, our ability to successfully develop and achieve milestones in the development of pacritinib, and the anticipated benefits of pacritinib. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, events or developments to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, include, but are not limited to: clinical trials may not demonstrate safety and efficacy of any of our or our collaborators' product candidates; our assumptions regarding our planned expenditures and sufficiency of our cash to fund operations may be incorrect; our efforts to advance the development of pactritinib may not be successful; any of our or our collaborators' product candidates may fail in development, may not receive required regulatory approvals, or may be delayed to a point where they are not commercially viable; we may not achieve additional milestones in our proprietary or partnered programs; the impact of competition; the impact of expanded product development and clinical activities on operating expenses; adverse conditions in the general domestic and global economic markets; as well as the other risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

"CTI BioPharma" and the CTI BioPharma logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of CTI BioPharma Corp. in various jurisdictions. All other trademarks belong to their respective owner.

CTI BioPharma Investor Contacts:Julia Balanova (investors)+1 646-378-2936[email protected]

Rich Allan (media)+1 646-378-2958[email protected]

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SOURCE CTI BioPharma Corp.