Amarillo Biosciences and Cargill Offer Alternative to Depopulation of
Livestock at Industry Conference
AMARILLO, Texas, April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BBC reporter Mark
Holdstock interviewed Dr. Joseph Cummins, President & CEO, Amarillo
Biosciences, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AMARE) (ABI) about foot-and-mouth
disease (FMD) and how the company's low-dosage oral interferon therapy can
control FMD. The interview was aired on BBC's Farming Today Radio 4. (The
entire interview can be heard through May 1 by visiting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/farmingtoday/index.shtml , and clicking on
"Listen to Monday's Farming Today" under the "Listen Again" section).
The interview explored how the FMD virus causes disease and how the virus'
sensitivity to interferon presents an "Achilles Heel" upon which to design a
defense against FMD. Dr. Cummins' basic thesis is that the introduction of
low-dosage oral interferon into animal feed will stop the FMD virus from
replicating, and thereby spare an animal from developing FMD. Currently,
animals diagnosed with FMD are slaughtered, resulting in a complete financial
loss. Dr. Cummins pointed out that "at a very low cost, orally administered
interferon will initiate systemic, beneficial effects in dogs, cats, horses,
swine, cattle, poultry and humans."
Current control measures of FMD focus on slaughter of infected and exposed
livestock. Indeed, when FMD occurred in the UK in 2001, millions of animals
were slaughtered. Dr. Cummins commented that the antiviral protein called
interferon was discovered and first described by scientists working in the UK
in 1957. Dr. Cummins said, "Now, 47 years later, I am advocating that
interferon be used as a defense against FMD. The FMD virus is a nasty virus
but in general, the virus kills less than 1% of livestock affected; the
government response to FMD, however, kills 100% of livestock affected. The
effect of an outbreak of FMD will have a devastating effect on the economy.
We should make every attempt to protect the nation's livestock industry
against FMD and an alternative to depopulation should be a top priority."
In a separate, but related matter, Dr. Albert Paszek of Cargill,
Incorporated will discuss alternatives to depopulation for FMD when he
addresses the 57th Reciprocal Meat Conference (June 20-24) in Lexington, KY.
The conference is sponsored by the American Meat Science Association. Dr.
Paszek and Dr. Cummins share a common concern about FMD and have been working
together to create interest in oral interferon as an alternative to
depopulation.
About Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
Amarillo Biosciences, Inc., is a U.S. biotechnology firm operating in
global partnership with the Hayashibara Group, which also holds 32% of
Amarillo Biosciences shares. 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.
Additional information is available on the ABI web site at http://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,
2003.
SOURCE Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.amarbio.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/farmingtoday/index.shtml
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/118055.html
CONTACT:
Philippe Niemetz of WPH Consultants, Ltd.,
+1-212-344-6464, or +1-800-477-7570, for Amarillo Biosciences,
Inc.
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