Funding Supports Evaluation of Protexia for Use as a Therapeutic Medical
Countermeasure Against Nerve Agent Toxicity
ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmAthene, Inc., a leading
biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of
medical countermeasures against chemical and biological terrorism,
announced today that it has been awarded a grant from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats
(CounterACT) Research Network totaling approximately $1.7 million to
support continued development of the Company's broad spectrum chemical
nerve agent therapy, Protexia(R).
Protexia is a recombinant form of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a
naturally occurring protein found in minute quantities in blood. BChE
functions as a natural bioscavenger, like a sponge, to absorb toxins such
as organophosphorous (OP), nerve agents (sarin, soman, tabun, VX) and
certain pesticides, before they can cause irreversible neurological damage
and death. Protexia is being developed by PharmAthene as a pre and
post-exposure therapy for military and civilian victims of a chemical nerve
agent attack.
"Based on an impressive collection of preclinical animal efficacy data,
which demonstrate that Protexia provides enhanced survival after exposure
to nerve agents without neurological impairment, we believe it has
excellent potential to become the superior choice for military and civilian
protection against nerve agent toxicity," commented David P. Wright,
President and Chief Executive Officer of PharmAthene. "The funding
announced today from the NIH, in addition to a recently announced contract
from the Department of Defense, which provides up to $213 million in
funding for advanced development of Protexia across multiple indications,
offers important validation for Protexia and our Company's biodefense
capabilities. We look forward to rapidly advancing the development of
Protexia to meet the urgent biosecurity needs of our Nation and Allies."
Preclinical research conducted by PharmAthene's development partners,
the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defence (USAMRICD) and
DRDC Suffield, Defence Research and Development Canada, have demonstrated
the capability of Protexia to protect laboratory animals from the toxic
effects of chemical nerve agents.
In these studies, pre-treatment with rBChE provided 100% survival
against the nerve agents VX and soman. In post-exposure therapeutic
studies, administration of rBChE following nerve agent exposure resulted in
enhanced survival compared to control animals. Results from several of
these studies were recently reported by USAMRICD and DRDC at the 2006
Bioscience Review meeting.
While the utility of BChE to protect against nerve agent exposure is
well documented, a major limitation in its development has been the
inability to produce it in commercial volumes due to limited raw material
availability, low levels of the enzyme in blood, and low production yields
using traditional biotechnology methods. To overcome these limitations,
PharmAthene has developed a recombinant form of human BChE, (rBChE),
utilizing transgenic expression in goats which enables substantially higher
production yields. PharmAthene believes that its transgenic technology will
have the capacity to produce sufficient rBChE for both military and
civilian defence.
The goal of the CounterACT program is to develop novel therapeutic
agents to treat large numbers of persons exposed to nerve agents as a
result of a mass civilian terrorist attack. Funding provided to PharmAthene
under the grant will be used to conduct additional preclinical studies to
evaluate the efficacy of Protexia as a post-exposure therapy for lethal
exposure to nerve agents.
About Protexia(R): Recombinant Human Butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE)
Protexia is a form of recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE),
a potent organophosphorus (OP) scavenger protein produced in the milk of
transgenic goats, which is being developed for use as a prophylactic
against acute organophosphorus (OP) nerve agent toxicity.
About Chemical Weapons
Organophosphorus nerve agents, or anti-cholinesterase agents, were
discovered in the 1930s following intensive research into new insecticides.
Their discovery represents the beginning of modern chemical warfare. These
agents cause toxicity by binding to and inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an
enzyme in the body that is essential for nervous system function, leading
to increases in acetylcholine and "cholinergic crisis" that can cause loss
of muscle control, respiratory failure, paralysis, convulsions, permanent
brain damage and eventually death.
These so-called nerve gases, which are actually all liquids at room
temperature, are lethal far more quickly and in far lower concentrations
than other classical chemical warfare agents such as vesicants, choking
agents and blood agents, and are effective both when inhaled and when
absorbed through the skin. Nerve agents can be classified as either
G-agents (sarin, soman, tabun) or V-agents (VX), both of which are
exceedingly toxic.
About PharmAthene, Inc.
PharmAthene, a privately-held biotechnology company, is dedicated to
the rapid development of important and novel medical countermeasures to
address biological pathogens and chemicals that may be used as weapons of
bioterror. PharmAthene's lead programs include Valortim(TM), intended for
the prevention and treatment of anthrax, which is being co-developed with
Medarex, Inc., and Protexia(R), intended to prevent and treat nerve agent
toxicity. PharmAthene is located in the Chesapeake Innovation Center in
Annapolis, MD, America's first business accelerator for the homeland and
national security sectors. PharmAthene has been successful in obtaining
U.S. Government and Venture Capital funding to finance the development of
its portfolio products. For more information on PharmAthene, please visit
http://www.PharmAthene.com.
SOURCE PharmAthene, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.pharmathene.com/
CONTACT:
Stacey Jurchison, Director, Corporate
Communications of PharmAthene, Inc., +1-410-571-8925, Cell:
+1-410-474-8200, JurchisonS@PharmAthene.com
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