Dr. Joseph Cummins, Amarillo Biosciences President & CEO, Attends
Agri-Bioterrorism Conference
AMARILLO, Texas, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amarillo Biosciences,
Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AMAR) (ABI) today announced the founding members of
its Committee to Develop an Alternative to Depopulation (CDAD), composed of
industry, university and government experts on epidemiology, immunology,
animal nutrition, virology, biostatistics, pathology and animal production.
CDAD's mission is to develop alternatives to the U.S. government's current
position on dealing with the introduction of foreign animal diseases such as
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The U.S. government's current proposed response
is to depopulate affected and exposed animals (animals, which are not infected
with FMD, but have been in contact with infected animals). Depopulation could
involve the slaughter of millions of animals, with the carcasses disposed of
by burning, composting, rendering or burial -- a process that would not only
cost billions of dollars, but also have a potentially disastrous effect on the
economy and environment.
CDAD Founding Members:
Professor Fred Brown USDA, ARS
Plum Island Animal Disease Center
Greenport, NY
Joseph M. Cummins, DVM, PhD
President and CEO
Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
Amarillo, Texas
Anthony John Mirehouse Garland,
BVMS, PhD, MRCVS
Collingwood, Dawney Hill
Pirbright, Surrey ENGLAND
Martin Hugh-Jones, DVM, PhD
Department of Pathobiological Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
David P. Hutcheson, PhD
Animal Agricultural Consulting
Amarillo, Texas
G. Steven Krakowka, DVM, PhD
The Ohio State University
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
Richard McDonald, PhD
Texas Cattle Feeders Association
Amarillo, Texas
Richard Mock, PhD
Texas A&M University System
Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab
Amarillo, Texas
Albert Paszek, PhD
Animal Productivity & Genomics
Cargill, Inc.
Minnetonka, MN
M.D.(Mo) Salman, DVMS, PhD, Dipl. A.C.V.P.M., F.A.C.E.
Colorado State University
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Bryan R.G. Williams, PhD
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Dept. of Cancer Biology
Cleveland, Ohio
Separately, the company announced that Dr. Cummins recently attended a
conference titled, "Mathematical Modeling of the Spread of Agricultural
Bioterrorism Agents" which was held in McLean, Virginia on September 16 and
17, 2003. The conference, which was attended by an international group of
government and university experts in epidemiology and agriculture, explored a
broad range of animal and plant disease epidemics and possible future
responses to bioterrorism incidents. At the conference, Dr. Cummins expressed
concern about potential resistance that government agencies are likely to face
if the proposed depopulation to a potential bioterrorism attack involving the
introduction of FMD into the United States.
One alternative to depopulation -- jointly proposed by Amarillo
Biosciences, Inc., and one of the world's largest agricultural companies-
involves adding human interferon alpha to livestock feed as a means of
bolstering the animals' immune systems and increasing their resistance to
infection by FMD virus. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture scientists have already
proven the effectiveness of interferon injections in protecting against FMD,
and Dr. Cummins believes that adding interferon to the feed will provide the
same protection at a much lower cost (for a copy of the proposal, see the ABI
website).
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 alpha as
a treatment for a variety of conditions, including Sjogren's syndrome,
fibromyalgia syndrome, Behcet's disease, hepatitis B and C, 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 alpha 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, 2002.
SOURCE Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.amarbio.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/118055.html
CONTACT:
Philippe Niemetz of WPH Consultants, Ltd.,
+1-212-344-6464, or fax, +1-212-618-1276, or
philippe.niemetz@wphconsultants.com , for Amarillo Biosciences,
Inc.
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