TARRYTOWN, New York, July 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- EPC2407 Shows Potent Apoptotic and Tumor Selective Vascular Disruptive 
Activity (VDA) in Pre-Clinical Studies

EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and OMX Nordic Exchange: EPCT) today
announced that with the initiation of a new study center, Tower Cancer
Research Foundation in Los Angeles, it will accelerate the recruitment of
patients in the currently ongoing Phase I clinical study of EPC2407, a novel
small molecule vascular disruption agent (VDA) and apoptosis inducer for the
treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors and lymphomas. The first two
cohorts of patients have been completed according to schedule at Scottsdale
Healthcare Center. The third cohort is currently ongoing at Scottsdale
Healthcare Center and at the University of California, Moores Cancer Center,
San Diego.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020513/NYM112LOGO )

EPC2407 belongs to a novel class of microtubulin inhibitors discovered by
EpiCept. These compounds cause caspase activation, cell cycle arrest, and
apoptotic death in cancer cells.

The Phase I trial of EPC2407 is now being conducted in three U.S. cancer
centers and will administer increasing doses to small groups in approximately
30-40 patients with advanced stages of solid tumors. The primary objectives
of the study are to determine the safety (maximum tolerated dose) and the
pharmacokinetic profile of the drug. The study will also characterize the
pharmacodynamic effects on tumor blood flow and identify early signs of
objective anti-tumor response as measured by CT scans, MRI or PET, in these
advanced cancer patients with well vascularized solid tumors.

Dr. Peter J. Rosen, Medical Director at Tower Cancer Research Foundation,
stated, "Tower Oncology is very excited to work with EpiCept on the clinical
development of EPC2407, a product with a new mechanistic approach, which
could offer significant advantages in the fight against cancer."

EpiCept President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Talley commented, "We
are pleased to be joined by Tower Cancer Research Foundation in the
development of EPC2407 and we believe that their participation will result in
our completing the trial ahead of plan. We expect to be in a position to
report the results of this important clinical trial later this year."

EPC2407 has shown promising vascular targeting activity with nanomolar
potencies of anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo
studies. The molecule 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
EPC2407 inhibits growth of established tumors of a number of different cancer
types more effectively than the other VDAs tested and was synergistic when
used in combination with anticancer agents, such as Cisplatin. The
combination of EPC2407 with other anticancer agents in a Phase 1b trial is
planned to follow the current monotherapy trial. EPC2407 is one of two VDA
compounds currently in clinical trials discovered through EpiCept's
Anti-cancer Screening Apoptosis Program (ASAP). The second compound,
Azixa(TM), is part of the EP90745 series of apoptosis inducers, which was
licensed by EpiCept to Myriad Genetics, Inc. as part of an exclusive,
worldwide development and commercialization agreement. Myriad recently
announced that Azixa(TM) has a second mode of action due to vascular
disruption activity (VDA). The compound is currently being evaluated in two
Phase II human clinical trials, one in patients with primary brain cancer and
the other in brain metastases due to melanoma. EpiCept's licensing agreement
with Myriad for Azixa includes milestone payments, and sublicensing income as
well as future royalties in the event Myriad's development of Azixa continues
to progress successfully.

About EpiCept's ASAP Technology

Cancer cells often exhibit unchecked growth caused by the disabling or
absence of the natural process of programmed cell death, which is called
apoptosis. Apoptosis is normally triggered to destroy a cell from within when
it outlives its purpose or it is seriously damaged. One of the most promising
approaches in the fight against cancer is to selectively induce apoptosis in
cancer cells, thereby checking, and perhaps reversing, the improper cell 
growth.

EpiCept's proprietary apoptosis screening technology can efficiently
identify new cancer drug candidates and molecular targets that selectively
induce apoptosis in cancer cells through the use of chemical genetics and its
proprietary live cell high-throughput caspase-3 screening technology.
Chemical genetics is a research approach investigating the effect of small
molecule drug candidates on the cellular activity of a protein, enabling
researchers to determine the protein's function. Using this approach with its
proprietary caspase-3 screening technology, EpiCept researchers can focus
their investigation on the cellular activity of small molecule drug
candidates and their relationship to apoptosis.

This combination of chemical genetics and caspase-3 screening technology
allows EpiCept's researchers to discover and rapidly test the effect of small
molecules on pathways and molecular targets crucial to apoptosis, and gain
insights into their potential as new anticancer agents. This screening
technology is particularly versatile and can be adapted for almost any cell
type that can be cultured, as well as measure caspase activation inside
multiple cell types (e.g., cancer cells, immune cells, or cell lines from
different organ systems or genetically engineered cells). This allows
researchers to find potential drug candidates that are selective for specific
cancer types, which may help identify candidates that provide increased
therapeutic benefit and reduced toxicity.

EpiCept has identified several families of compounds with potentially
novel mechanisms that induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Several compounds
from within these families have progressed to lead drug candidate status with
proven pre-clinical efficacies in tumor models and identified molecular
targets.

About EpiCept Corporation

EpiCept is focused on unmet needs in the treatment of pain and cancer.
EpiCept has a staged portfolio of pharmaceutical product candidates with
several pain therapies in late-stage clinical trials, and a lead oncology
compound (for acute myeloid leukemia, or AML) with demonstrated efficacy in a
Phase III trial; a marketing authorization application for this compound is
under review by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products
(EMEA). EpiCept is based in Tarrytown, N.Y., and its research and development
team in San Diego is pursuing a drug discovery program focused on novel
approaches to apoptosis.

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 EpiCept's 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 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 our ASAP technology
will not yield any successful product candidates, the risk that clinical
trials for NP- 1 will not be successful, that NP-1 will not receive
regulatory approval or achieve significant commercial success, the risk that
Ceplene will not receive regulatory approval or marketing authorization in
the EU, 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 EpiCept will
not obtain approval to market any of its product candidates, the risks
associated with reliance on additional outside financing to meet its capital
requirements, the risks associated with 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;
competition; litigation; risks associated with our ability to have our common
stock readmitted to trading on The Nasdaq Global Market; risks associated
with prior material weaknesses in our internal controls; and risks associated
with our ability to protect our intellectual property. These factors and
other material risks are more fully discussed in EpiCept's 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 EpiCept's filings which are available
at http://www.sec.gov or at http://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.

-- Azixa is a registered trademark of Myriad Genetics, Inc.

EPCT-GEN

Web site: http://www.epicept.com