EXHIBIT 99.1
                                     [LOGO]
                                NeoTherapeutics

Contact:
John McManus
NeoTherapeutics, Inc.
(949) 788-6700, ext. 247


             NeoTherapeutics completes issuance of shares to vendors

IRVINE, Calif., November 21, 2002 -- NeoTherapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOT)
announced today that it had issued 356,926 shares of common stock in a private
placement to five vendors as payment for $628,190.09 in payables. The issuance
was not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the shares
issued may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under
the Securities Act or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
NeoTherapeutics has agreed to prepare and file within 60 days a registration
statement to permit the vendor to resell the shares.

NeoTherapeutics seeks to create value for shareholders through the development
of in-licensed drugs for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients.
The Company's lead drug, satraplatin, is a phase 3 oral, anti-cancer drug.
Elsamitrucin, a phase 2 drug, will initially target non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Neoquin(TM) is being studied in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer, and
may have applications as a radiation sensitizer. The Company also has a pipeline
of pre-clinical neurological drug candidates for disorders such as
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, mild cognitive
impairment and pain, which it is actively seeking to out-license or co-develop.
For additional information visit the Company's web site at www.neot.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future
events and the future performance of NeoTherapeutics that involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks
are described in further detail in the Company's reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's quarterly report on
form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2002 and the Company's annual
report on form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001.

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