Cell Therapeutics changes name to CTI BioPharma

US biotech firm Cell Therapeutics Inc (Nasdaq: CTIC) says it will change its corporate name to CTI BioPharma Corp effective today. The company's common stock will continue to trade under its current ticker symbol: "CTIC."

"The rebranding from Cell Therapeutics to CTI BioPharma comes at a defining moment in our company's history and better reflects who we are today and our aspirations for becoming a leader in developing therapies for patients with blood-related cancers," said James Bianco, president and chief executive of CTI BioPharma. "From the beginning, CTI has looked at potential therapies from the patient's perspective to address both the clinical need and the impact treatment can have on a patient's life. This inspires everything we do and is evident in the drug candidates we are currently pursuing and those we'll look to acquire. Currently, we have a growing commercial presence in Europe for Pixuvri (pixantrone) for patients with relapsed aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and a promising late-stage pipeline that includes a Phase III program for pacritinib, a novel JAK2/FLT3 inhibitor, for patients with myelofibrosis."

The change of the company's name will entail a change in the CUSIP code associated with CTI shares from 150934883 to 12648L 106, together with a change in the ISIN code associated with CTI shares from US1509348835 to US12648L1061. No action is required by shareholders with respect to this change.