ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adeona
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AEN) announced today that it has
appointed George A. Eby, a
researcher who has conducted multiple clinical studies of zinc
lozenges for the common cold, as a member of its Scientific
Advisory Board.
Mr. Eby is a pioneer in the development of zinc lozenges as a
treatment for the common cold. He has devoted more than 30 years to
the study of zinc and is the executive director of the George Eby
Research Institute. He was the first researcher to demonstrate with
statistical significance that zinc lozenges can reduce the average
duration of symptoms of the common cold by approximately seven
days. Mr. Eby's groundbreaking placebo-controlled, randomized,
double-blind clinical study was published in the January 1984 volume of American Society for
Microbiology and is available at:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=185426&blobtype=pdf.
His zinc studies have been cited in several journals, most recently
in the "Zinc for the Common Cold Review" prepared by The Cochrane
Collaboration® and "Zinc Lozenges May Shorten the Duration of
Colds: A Systematic Review" in The Open Respiratory Medicine
Journal, both published during 2011.
"I am pleased to join Adeona's Scientific Advisory Board," said
George Eby. "Adeona's zinc acetate
lozenges have the potential to reduce the duration and severity of
the common cold for most people. Through the development of its
family of zinc-based product candidates, Adeona is uniquely
positioned to introduce this new zinc lozenge for the common cold
into the marketplace. I look forward to using my 30 years of zinc
lozenge research to guide Adeona as it takes advantage of this
large market opportunity. It is reported that consumers in the U.S.
spend approximately $2.9 billion
annually on over-the-counter treatments for the common cold, most
of which I deem ineffective beyond modest symptomatic relief."
James S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.,
Adeona's Chairman and CEO, stated, "Mr. Eby joins our Scientific
Advisory Board at a very exciting time in our Company's history.
We are in the process of planning the commercial launch of
wellZin™, our zinc lozenge, that has been developed to
reduce the duration and severity of symptoms associated with the
common cold. His deep industry knowledge and vast experience in
zinc research will provide us with a competitive advantage as we
move forward with this program and drive corporate growth for our
Company."
About wellZin™
In July 2011, Adeona acquired
exclusive access to two statistically significant clinical studies
that demonstrated a reduction in the duration and severity of
symptoms associated with the common cold while taking a particular
zinc lozenge. Based on the reduction of common cold symptoms shown
in these two clinical studies conducted by Ananda S. Prasad, M.D., Ph.D., Adeona intends to
commercialize a similar oral zinc lozenge as a homeopathic
over-the-counter drug under the brand name wellZin. Plans
for manufacturing, packaging and marketing of wellZin are
currently underway. The trademarked name, wellZin, is
derived from the combination of "well", as the product seeks to
help people suffering from symptoms of the common cold, and "Zin",
the root used to distinguish the family brand of zinc products
under development by Adeona. wellZin is intended to be
marketed for adults in the United
States.
About Adeona Pharmaceuticals' Scientific Advisory
Board
Members of Adeona's Scientific Advisory Board serve on a
continuing basis to advise the Company on scientific and clinical
matters related to its programs, as well as recommending and
reviewing business opportunities. Mr. Eby joins other
industry-leading experts, including: Ashley
I. Bush, M.D., Ph.D., a National Health and Medical Research
Council Australia Fellow and Head of the Oxidation Disorders
Laboratory for the Mental Health Research Institute, University of Melbourne; and, Ananda S. Prasad, M.D., Ph.D., a Distinguished
Professor of Internal Medicine at Wayne State
University School of Medicine and renowned zinc expert.
About Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Adeona is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing
innovative medicines for the treatment of serious central nervous
system diseases. The Company's strategy is to license product
candidates that have demonstrated a certain level of clinical
efficacy and develop them to a stage that results in a significant
commercial collaboration. Adeona is developing, or has partnered
the development of, drug product candidates to treat multiple
sclerosis, fibromyalgia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and
Alzheimer's disease. The Company is currently preparing to make the
following products commercially available: reaZin™, a
prescription medical food for the dietary management of zinc
deficiency associated with Alzheimer's disease, and
wellZin™, a homeopathic over-the-counter drug for reducing
symptoms associated with the common cold. Adeona also operates a
wholly owned clinical reference laboratory, Adeona Clinical
Laboratory, that provides a broad array of chemistry and
microbiology diagnostic tests. For more information, please visit
Adeona's website at www.adeonapharma.com.
This release includes forward-looking statements on Adeona's
current expectations and projections about future events. In some
cases forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology
such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects,"
"anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and
similar expressions. These statements are based upon current
beliefs, expectations and assumptions and are subject to a number
of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict
and include statements regarding the commercialization of wellZin
and the effectiveness of wellZin. The forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those set forth or implied by any
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those reflected in
Adeona's forward-looking statements include, among others, a
failure of wellZin to achieve desired results, a failure by us to
successfully commercialize wellZin and other factors described in
Adeona's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and any other filings with the
SEC. The information in this release is provided only as of the
date of this release, and Adeona undertakes no obligation to update
any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account
of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required
by law.
SOURCE Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc.