Press Release Source: CytRx Corporation

CytRx Sponsors All-Star Baseball Tournament to Fight Lou Gehrig's Disease
Monday July 18, 8:30 am ET
Baseball Pitching Legend Tommy John Serving As Honorary Tournament Chairperson

LOS ANGELES, July 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CytRx Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTR - News), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of human therapeutics primarily in the area of small molecules and ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi), is "stepping up to the plate" with former Major League pitcher Tommy John (Dodgers/Yankees) and the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association to hold the CytRx "Strike Out Lou Gehrig's Disease" All-Star Tournament July 23 - 30, 2005. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

"Our shared commitment to improving the lives of those with ALS brought CytRx and the Greater LA Chapter of ALSA together. This event is a great opportunity to raise funds for the chapter as well as to increase public awareness of Lou Gehrig's disease," said Steven A. Kriegsman, President and CEO of CytRx. "As CytRx makes final preparations to launch our expected Phase II clinical trial with our oral drug candidate arimoclomol for the treatment of ALS, we are proud to use this sponsorship opportunity to show our dedication to the future day when an ALS diagnosis will no longer be the death sentence it is today."

"We are gratified to have as our title sponsor CytRx, a local Los Angeles based biotechnology company as dedicated as we are to ending ALS as we know it today and to giving patients and their families a reason for hope," said Fred Fisher, Executive Director of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association. "Their participation in this event is a highly visible demonstration of their commitment to their research for an effective treatment for ALS."

Playing in the tournament will be all-star teams from Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino and Kern Counties in two age groups: 12 and under, and 10 and under. Included among the tournament participants is Conejo Valley Little League that is the current National Little League Champion. All games will be played at the Conejo Valley Little League fields in Thousand Oaks, Calif., with sponsorship money going toward ALS patient services in the home county of each team, and to help fund research. In addition to the games, activities at the tournament will include:

* Tommy John and other former baseball professionals will lead baseball
clinics free of charge to the public and tournament participants on
Saturday (July 23) morning;
* Autograph booths will be open during the clinics on July 23;
* An additional free baseball clinic will be held on Sunday (July 24)
afternoon; and
* Raffles for baseball items that include limited edition World Series
baseballs and jerseys signed by Boston Red Sox World Series pitching
ace, Curt Schilling.
Among the players, coaches and umpires participating in the tournament are friends and family of those suffering from or lost to ALS. An example is the pitching battery for one of the Conejo Valley teams, which includes a pitcher who lost his grandmother to ALS and a catcher whose father is an ALS patient. The catcher's father will be at his son's games to show his support.

About ALS

ALS is a progressive degeneration of the brain and spinal column nerve cells that control the muscles that allow movement. According to the ALS Survival Guide, 50% of ALS patients die within 18 months of diagnosis and 80% die within five years. Approximately 30,000 people are living with ALS and nearly 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone, according to the ALS Association. More than 120,000 people worldwide have ALS.

About Arimoclomol

Arimoclomol is believed to function by a mechanism that stimulates a normal cellular protein repair pathway through the activation of "molecular chaperones." Since damaged proteins called aggregates are thought to play a role in many diseases, CytRx believes that activation of molecular chaperones with its drug candidates could show therapeutic efficacy over a broad range of diseases, including ALS. In May 2005 CytRx announced that the FDA granted arimoclomol orphan drug status designation for the treatment of ALS.

About the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association is a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of leading members of the Los Angeles community. The Greater Los Angeles chapter provides services in Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Riverside and Kern Counties to persons with ALS and their families.

About CytRx Corporation

CytRx Corporation is a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of products, primarily in the area of small molecules and ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi), in a variety of therapeutic categories. The Company owns three clinical-stage compounds based on its small molecule molecular "chaperone" co-induction technology, as well as a targeted library of 500 small molecule drug candidates that may be used to screen for new drug candidates. The Company expects to enter a Phase II clinical trial with its lead orally-administered small molecule drug candidate, arimoclomol, for the treatment of ALS. CytRx has a broad-based strategic alliance with the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) to develop novel compounds in the areas of ALS, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cytomegalovirus (CMV) using RNAi technology. CytRx also licensed from UMMS the rights to a DNA-based HIV vaccine technology currently in a Phase I clinical trial. The Company has a research program with Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University's teaching hospital, to use RNAi technology to develop a drug for the treatment of ALS. For more information, visit CytRx's Web site at www.cytrx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements, including risks or uncertainties related to the early stage of CytRx's diabetes, obesity, CMV and ALS research, the need for future clinical testing of any RNAi-based products and small molecules that may be developed by CytRx, uncertainties regarding regulatory approvals for clinical testing and the scope of the clinical testing that may be required by regulatory authorities for its molecular chaperone co-induction drug candidates, including arimoclomol, and other products and the outcomes of those tests, the significant time and expense that will be incurred in developing any of the potential commercial applications for CytRx's RNAi technology or small molecules, CytRx's need for additional capital to fund its ongoing working capital needs, including ongoing research and development expenses related to its molecular chaperone co-induction drug candidates, risks relating to the enforceability of any patents covering CytRx's products and to the possible infringement of third party patents by those products, and the impact of third party reimbursement policies on the use of and pricing for CytRx's products. Additional uncertainties and risks are described in CytRx's most recently filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, all quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and any current reports on Form 8-K filed since the date of the last Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to CytRx on the date the statements are first published. CytRx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: CytRx Corporation

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