GenoMed Announces Tenth Clinical Trial, for Osteoporosis
ST. LOUIS--(June 3, 2003) - GenoMed, Inc- ("the Company" or "GenoMed") (National Quotation Bureau’s Pink Sheets Symbol GMED), a St. Louis, Missouri-based medical genomics and Next Generation Disease Management™ company, announced today it is soliciting volunteers willing to try an additional drug besides their current treatment for osteoporosis.
GenoMed’s treatment involves use of an existing drug normally used to treat high blood pressure, and is quite safe. The drug is a particular ACE inhibitor, or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (“ARB”). ACE stands for “angiotensin I converting enzyme.” The treatment is designed to counteract the underlying process in osteoporosis: loss of bone through excessive action of bone-destroying cells, or osteoclasts.
Bone is in constant balance between formation of new bone, and loss of existing bone. After menopause, women especially have excessive bone loss. The controversy over estrogen use in post-menopausal women will make osteoporosis more common. GenoMed is pursuing a novel strategy to minimize bone loss, one that does not involve estrogen.
The bone-destroying cells, or osteoclasts, which gain the upper hand in women after menopause are derived from another cell type, the macrophage. Macrophages are activated by angiotensin II, and express ACE on their plasma membrane when activated. The involvement of ACE and angiotensin II in osteoclasts has been studied very little. But it is logical, although quite novel, to try to suppress osteoclast activity by blocking angiotensin II production or binding to its receptor, especially when safe drugs already exist.
Patients who wish to learn more about this trial can click here:
216.234.225.2
This brings to ten the number of GenoMed’s ongoing clinical trials using this treatment approach. The other nine include alopecia areata, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis (“MS”), sickle cell disease, HIV, SARS, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
About GenoMed
GenoMed, Inc. is a Next Generation Disease ManagementTM practicing preventive molecular medicine. GenoMed discovers the molecular causes of disease, finds drugs to correct the molecular defects, and performs clinical trials to establish efficacy of the new treatment. GenoMed prefers to use existing drugs for new disease indications, since these drugs have known safety profiles and are already available. The Company applies for patent protection for each step in the process, and then licenses its treatments. A St. Louis Business Journal article (http://www.stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2002/05/13/story8.html) first reported that the company had applied for patents based on its finding that the ACE gene is associated with a large number of common diseases. GenoMed has published patient outcomes for its approach for the following four diseases: kidney failure due to diabetes or high blood pressure (the Company can prevent dialysis for these two diseases), poor circulation due to high blood pressure, and emphysema. The Company is eager to license its patent-pending treatments globally. GenoMed’s research results are more fully described on its website, www.genomedics.com
For questions, please contact David W. Moskowitz MD, MA (Oxon.), FACP at 314-977-0110, FAX 314-977-0042, email: dwmoskowitz@genomedics.com or visit us at www.genomedics.com. |
