DSM Biologics and Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Avid Bioservices, Inc. of Tustin, California to join their Vendor Network. Under the terms of the agreement, Avid will be a pre-approved contract manufacturer (CMO) for licensees of the PER.C6® cell line located in the western U.S. Avid is the first U.S.-based contract manufacturer to be awarded this status.

Karen King, president of DSM Biologics notes, "We are confident that Avid's excellent reputation and service level will be instrumental in making the PER.C6® technology available to licensees on the West Coast, bringing our technology to a wider regional base as we continue to grow globally."

Steven W. King, president of Avid Bioservices added "We are honored to achieve the distinction of being the first pre-approved U.S.-based CMO to manufacture proteins and antibodies using the PER.C6® cell line. The PER.C6® technology is recognized throughout our industry as providing important advantages compared to other platforms, including serum-free medium, scalability and high productivity levels making the system an ideal fit for Avid."

Crucell and DSM last week announced a breakthrough in the production of IgG antibodies using Crucell's PER.C6® technology. By employing the PER.C6® human cell line and DSM's proprietary XD(TM) technology, a record yield of over 27 grams per liter has been achieved.

The PER.C6® technology platform has been developed for the large-scale manufacture of biopharmaceutical products such as recombinant proteins, including monoclonal antibodies. Compared to conventional production technologies, the strengths of PER.C6® technology lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability and productivity under serum-free culture conditions.

Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Avid Bioservices is a wholly owned subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: PPHM).

About PER.C6® technology
Crucell's PER.C6® technology platform has been developed for the large-scale manufacture of biopharmaceutical products such as recombinant proteins including monoclonal antibodies. Compared to conventional production technologies, the strengths of PER.C6® technology lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability and productivity under serum-free culture conditions.

About XD(TM) technology
DSM's XD(TM) technology has been developed as a proprietary system to drive yield improvements in mammalian systems. "XD" stands for extreme density, as the process is able to push the cell density within the bioreactor to maximum productivity.

About Avid Bioservices, Inc.
Avid Bioservices provides a comprehensive range of cGMP manufacturing services for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. Avid manufactures cGMP commercial product, as well as clinical supplies for all phases of clinical trials. The company's comprehensive range of cGMP services includes cell banking, stability testing, clinical product manufacturing and purification, bulk packaging, final product filling and regulatory support. Avid also provides a variety of process development activities, including cell line optimization, analytical method development and product characterization. Avid has over 10 years of antibody manufacturing experience producing monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins in batch, fed-batch and perfusion modes. For more information about Avid, visit www.avidbio.com.

About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative product candidates in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The company is pursuing three separate clinical programs in cancer and HCV infection with its lead product candidates bavituximab and Cotara®. Peregrine also has in-house manufacturing capabilities through its wholly owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. (www.avidbio.com), which provides development and bio-manufacturing services for both Peregrine and outside customers. Additional information about Peregrine can be found at www.peregrineinc.com.