Amarillo Biosciences Enters Into Agreement With Malaysian Pharmaceutical Company Bumimedic to Obtain Regulatory Approval to Market Low Dose Oral Interferon in Malaysia
1/19/2006
Avian Flu Fuels Interest in Low Dose Oral Interferon as Potential
Therapy in S.E. Asia
AMARILLO, TX, Jan 19, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) --
Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. (ABI) (OTC BB: AMAR) today announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Bumimedic (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, a Malaysian pharmaceutical company that is a part of the Antah HealthCare Group, to market ABI's low-dose interferon (natural human IFN) in Malaysia. Bumimedic will seek registration for ABI's natural human IFN and commence marketing the product after approval.
The terms of the agreement call for Bumimedic to manufacture lozenges from ABI's bulk natural human IFN (which is supplied by Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories); package the lozenges and distribute them to local hospitals, pharmacies and clinics in Malaysia. Pursuant to the agreement, ABI will receive a series of payments, in three stages: upon formal execution of the distribution agreement, upon regulatory approval, and upon production. ABI will also receive a royalty on the sale of the natural human IFN. This agreement was made possible through the Company's previously announced relationship with Dr. Claus Martin, President and CEO, Gessellschaft Fur Medizinisch and Technische Investionen mbH & CoKG. (GMTI), a privately held German venture capital group.
ABI has been actively pursuing a strategy of introducing its natural human IFN into the SE Asian market, which has been the one geographic area most affected by the avian flu. Interest in the Company's natural human IFN has risen with international concern about the potential of the current bird flu outbreak to develop into a pandemic. Health care professionals agree that the public is vulnerable to the impending influenza pandemic. Effective vaccination for influenza is the goal of health officials. However, vaccine is not yet available for the H5N1 virus (bird flu), and the therapies that do exist, such as Tamiflu, are in limited supply worldwide. Interest in the Company's natural human IFN has been especially high in Southeast Asia, where ABI has entered into agreements with two different pharmaceutical partners as an initial step toward commercialization.
Clinical observations on thousands of influenza patients in the former Soviet Union, Bulgaria, China, and Japan indicate the potential safety and efficacy of low doses of natural human IFN to treat influenza. These studies indicate that significant clinical benefits occurred in patients given different interferon preparations intranasally or orally during natural outbreaks of influenza.
Ralph Yapp, CEO of the Antah HealthCare Group and Bumimedic said, "The opportunity to bring oral interferon to commercialization in Malaysia is a golden opportunity for Bumimedic. This non-toxic oral form of interferon will help solve many healthcare problems in Malaysia."
ABI President Joseph Cummins said, "We are extremely pleased to have concluded this agreement with Bumimedic, which comes just a few weeks after our previously announced agency agreement with Dr. Martin and GMTI. We expect to work closely with Bumimedic and Dr. Martin to obtain the requisite regulatory approval necessary to launch our interferon in Malaysia."
About Bumimedic (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Bumimedic (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is a subsidiary of the privately owned Antah HealthCare Group which is controlled by one of the Royal families of Malaysia. Antah HealthCare is one of the largest healthcare companies in Malaysia, with over 40 years of experience in the industry dealing in a wide range of ethical and OTC pharmaceutical products, as well as sophisticated medical equipment and consumable supplies for hospitals, medical centers, clinics and pharmacies.
Bumimedic (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. was established as a registered pharmaceutical production facility and operated its factory under Good Manufacturing Practices, producing OTC and ethical products such as tablets, capsules, liquids and ointments. It manufactures more than 300 types of such pharmaceutical products to cater to local and overseas customers, both for local distribution as well as under contract manufacturing.
The company is now in the process of setting up another production facility in Malaysia under a joint venture. The manufacturing facility, expected to be in full production by mid-2006, will have new state-of-the-art equipment and machinery.
The Group's distribution channel covers medical institutions and organizations such as government and university hospitals, laboratories, health centers, state medical stores, privately owned hospitals, medical centers, general practitioners, dental clinics, wholesale and retail dealers, pharmacies, and medical research institutions.
About Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. is a U.S. biotechnology firm operating in global partnership with the Hayashibara Group, which also holds 17% of Amarillo Biosciences shares and has provided over $17.8 million in loans, grants and equity investments. The Company's primary focus is extensive and ongoing R&D into the use of low-dose, orally administered interferon as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including Sjogren's syndrome, Behcet's disease, and opportunistic infections in patients who are HIV positive. In its 21-year history, ABI has invested nearly $37 million to establish oral interferon as a therapeutic agent. The majority of those funds were invested in clinical trials in an effort to achieve FDA approval for interferon. Additional information is available on the ABI web site at www.amarbio.com/.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties related to product development, uncertainties related to the need for regulatory and other government approvals, dependence on proprietary technology, uncertainty of market acceptance of oral interferon or the Company's other product candidates and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see "Item 1. Description of Business" of the Company's Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2004.
Contact: Investor Relations: Philippe Niemetz PAN Consultants, Ltd. Tel: 800-477-7570 Tel: 212-344-6464 Fax: 212-618-1276 e-mail:p.niemetz@panconsultants.com Joseph M. Cummins, DVM, PhD Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. Tel: 806-376-1741 x 13 Fax: 806-376-9301 e-mail:jcummins@amarbio.com
SOURCE: Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
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