Business Wire - November 01, 2001
Amerimmune is singularly focused on conducting the Phase I human clinical trial to determine the safety and tolerability for a murine monoclonal antibody intended as a treatment for patients suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Donald W. Northfelt, M.D., F.A.C.P., a leading HIV/AIDS specialist, leads the distinguished medical and scientific team as the principal investigator.
Northfelt has been an assistant clinical professor of medicine in the AIDS Clinic at the University of California, San Diego since 1996 and has held faculty positions in HIV/AIDS and hematology/oncology at the University of California, San Francisco and at the AIDS Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital. The clinical trial is being conducted at Northfelt's research facility at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Assisting with various aspects of the trial are experts widely recognized for their expertise in their respective fields, including Peggy C. Pence, Ph.D., who serves as president of Symbion Research International Inc., a provider of superior contract clinical research management and regulatory services to biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Pence brings 25 years of experience in the research and development of traditional pharmaceutical- and biotechnology-derived products and medical devices. She is working with Amerimmune to help it meet clinical research and regulatory needs during the course of the trial. Pence received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in toxicology and pharmacology.
The third key member of the team is Andrew J. Conrad, Ph.D., who is currently a member of the Brain Research Institute at UCLA and is also the chief scientific officer and co-founder of the National Genetics Institute in Los Angeles.
The primary focus of Conrad's research has been on the effects and manifestations of chronic viral illnesses as measured by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in HIV/AIDS disease. Conrad is currently conducting his research at National Genetics Institute, which performs more than three million PCRs per year and is the largest PCR laboratory in the world.
Conrad has extensive experience as a head and principal investigator for FDA Investigational New Drug Applications (INDAs), especially in the area of chronic viral illnesses and is serving as a scientific consultant to Amerimmune. He received his Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
"We believe that the team we have assembled to assist us in the scientific and regulatory aspects of the trial is exceptional in its expertise and range of knowledge," said Rex H. Lewis, president and chief executive officer of Amerimmune.
About Cytolin(R)
Cytolin(R) is a patented monoclonal antibody that blocks certain adhesion molecules on one of the disease-fighting cells of the immune system, thereby protecting the immune system from "killer-type" T cells that tend to turn the human immune system against itself.
By helping to shore up the immune system's natural defenses, Cytolin(R) is a distinctly different therapeutic approach from antiviral drugs (e.g., reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors), which take the offensive against the virus.
Amerimmune is engaged in pharmaceutical research and development with the primary purpose of developing Cytolin(R), a drug designed to protect the immune system, especially in patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The company believes that Cytolin(R) is an important drug for the growing number of patients who have not been receiving treatment, for those who are on multi-drug therapy and for those who have become resistant to drugs currently used to treat the HIV/AIDS virus.
For more information, visit the company's Web site, www.amerimmune.com.
Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts, such as anticipated results of clinical trials, may constitute "forward-looking statements," which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions in the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond the control of the company that could cause actual results to differ materially from those from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations are detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K. The company disclaims any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
CONTACT: The Berlin Group Inc. Lawrence Delaney Jr., 714/734-5000 E-mail: amun.ir@berlingroup.com
SOURCE: Amerimmune Pharmaceuticals Inc.
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