'The Wall Street Transcript' Interview Outlines Focus of Scientific Research
YONKERS, N.Y., April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Advanced Viral Research Corp.'s (OTC Bulletin Board: ADVR) Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Shalom Z. Hirschman, M.D., told The Wall Street Transcript
in an interview published Monday, April 15, 2002, that based on scientific
work on the Company's Product R, "We have focused on very important and large
areas of therapy, especially AIDS and cancer, including patients with acute
lymphocytic leukemia, lymphomas or solid tumors. We are optimistic that this
drug potentially represents a very important addition to medical therapy."
Dr. Hirschman told The Wall Street Transcript that Advanced Viral's
scientists are investigating at the basic science level a number of illnesses
where Product R may have application. "We believe that Product R may be
useful to treat patients with cancer including cancers of lymphocytic cells,
such as acute lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma as well as rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. There
are also a host of viral diseases that we believe can be treated with Product
R besides AIDS, including diseases like shingles, which is caused by herpes
zoster virus. We are already in clinical trials to treat genital warts,"
Hirschman continued. Dr. Hirschman, who was director of the Division of
Infectious Diseases at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine for nearly three
decades, praised the scientific teams at ADVR that are developing Product R.
At present the Company is focusing on the clinical development of the
following systemic uses of Product R: 1) The treatment of cachexia (body
wasting) in patients with cancer, which covers wide populations of patients;
and 2) Salvage therapy in patients with AIDS who have failed highly active
anti-retroviral therapy (HAART).
Phase 1 clinical trials addressing these systemic therapeutic uses of
Product R recently have been approved by the Helsinki Committees
(institutional review boards) at three renowned medical centers in Israel; the
Company is awaiting final approval from the Israel Ministry of Health before
commencing the trials.
Members of a newly named Scientific Advisory Board augment the expertise
of the Company's scientific staff. "The Board has leaders in their fields:
including Dr. George Canellos, one of the country's leading oncologists, who
is professor at Harvard; Dr. Michael Harris, who is one of the leading
pediatric oncologists in the world; Dr. James D'Olimpio, who is an expert on
cachexia in patients with cancer; Dr. Howard Young, who is one of the leading
immunologists in this country, and Carol Armenti who is a noted expert on
women's health issues," Dr. Hirschman added.
On Friday, April 12, 2002, the Company announced the start of Phase 2 of
its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) for the topical treatment of genital warts with Product R
by recruiting clinical sites in the United Status. Product R was well
tolerated dermatologically in all the doses applied in the Phase 1 study.
During the course of Phase 2, the efficacy of Product R for the topical
therapy of genital warts will be investigated in various doses.
The incidence of genital warts caused by infection with strains of the
human papilloma virus (HPV) continues to rise in the United States, especially
amongst sexually active young men and women. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 20 million persons in the United States
have genital HPV infection. Advanced Viral Research Corp. believes that there
is a need for more effective and better tolerated therapeutic options.
Product R is being investigated as a non-toxic peptide-nucleic acid-type
immunomodulator that appears to stimulate the proinflammatory responses
required to combat viral infections such as AIDS and human papilloma virus and
to dampen aberrant autoimmune-type inflammatory responses, such as occur in
patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, Product R has been termed a
"switch type" immunomodulator. Product R is also being studied for the promise
shown in its ability to mitigate the toxic side effects of other drugs,
including those used to treat HIV infection and chemotherapeutic drugs
employed in the treatment of cancers.
Advanced Viral Research Corp., based in Yonkers, New York, is a
biopharmaceutical firm dedicated to improving patients' lives by researching,
developing and bringing to market new and effective therapies for viral and
other diseases.
For further information regarding Advanced Viral Research Corp., please
visit our website at http://www.adviral.com. Full text of the interview is
available by contacting The Wall Street Transcript at http://www.twst.com.
Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks associated with clinical development, regulatory approvals, including
application to the FDA, product commercialization and other risks described
from time to time in the SEC reports filed by the Company. Product R is not
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any comparable agencies
of any other countries. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to
secure the financing necessary to continue and/or complete the clinical trials
of Product R or satisfy certain other conditions relating to clinical trials
including obtaining adequate insurance on terms acceptable to the Company. The
Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained
in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future events or
circumstances or otherwise.
Contact Information:
Mayr Communications, Inc.
877-777-6010
mayrcomm@att.net
SOURCE Advanced Viral Research Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.adviral.com
CONTACT:
Mayr Communications, Inc., +1-877-777-6010,
mayrcomm@att.net
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