CTIC CTI BioPharma Corporation

SEATTLE, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (NASDAQ: CTIC and MTA: CTIC) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved certain amendments to CTI's existing shareholder rights plan ("Rights Plan") to decrease the exercise price of the preferred stock purchase rights ("Rights") under the Rights Plan from $14.00 to $8.00 and to extend the "final expiration date" from the close of business on the third anniversary of January 7, 2010 (the "Record Date"), to the close of business on December 3, 2015.  The Rights were initially distributed as a dividend on each share of CTI's common stock outstanding on the Record Date and currently trade with each outstanding share of CTI's common stock.

About Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Cell Therapeutics (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of an integrated portfolio of oncology products aimed at making cancer more treatable. CTI is headquartered in Seattle, WA. For additional information and to sign up for email alerts and get RSS feeds, please visit www.CellTherapeutics.com.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, the outcomes of which could materially and/or adversely affect actual future results and the market price of CTI's securities, including, but not limited to, statements regarding amendments to CTI's Rights Plan. Specifically, the risks and uncertainties include that CTI cannot guarantee that the Rights Plan, as amended, will deter any coercive takeover tactics; CTI's ability to continue to raise capital as needed to fund its operations; risks related to competitive factors, technological developments, costs of developing, producing, and selling CTI's product candidates; and the risk factors listed or described from time to time in CTI's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, CTI's most recent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Except as may be required by law, CTI does not intend to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:
Monique Greer
+1 206.272.4343
mgreer@ctiseattle.com

Ed Bell
+1 206.282.7100
invest@ctiseattle.com

SOURCE Cell Therapeutics, Inc.