GNBT,
Generex Biotechnology Announces That It Has Produced MetControl, the Company's Proprietary Metformin Chewing Gum Product for Upcoming Clinical Study
Monday May 12, 9:30 am ET
WORCESTER, Mass., May 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation (NasdaqCM:GNBT - News), the leader in drug delivery for metabolic diseases through the inner lining of the mouth, announced today that it has produced clinical samples of MetControl(tm), the Company's proprietary Metformin chewing gum product. These samples have been manufactured under GMP conditions and will be used in an upcoming trial, the results from which will allow the Company to proceed with additional R&D initiatives and consider regulatory agency registration applications. The protocol for the MetControl study is an open-label crossover study comparing MetControl and immediate release tablets in healthy volunteers.
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The Company anticipates that approximately 36 patients will participate in the study.
Metformin is a generic drug used to regulate blood glucose levels by reducing liver glucose production and improving the insulin sensitivity of cells. Through this action, Metformin allows the insulin produced by the body to be used more effectively and ultimately reduces the amount of glucose in the blood. Metformin is the backbone of almost all treatments for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. It has a broad range of beneficial qualities for this extremely complex disease. Despite the fact that it is the most prescribed drug for Type 2, there are still millions who do not use it because of a variety of factors, including gastrointestinal side effects, large pill size and bitter taste (especially in the burgeoning population of children with Type 2 diabetes). The delivery of Metformin in a good tasting chewing gum format may make the drug more acceptable to these patients and may thereby increase compliance with the therapy.
The R&D path that leads to commercialization of this product is not anticipated to be as lengthy as a typical NCE (New Chemical Entity) as Metformin itself is not a new active compound. It is a well established active that has been accepted globally for the treatment of patients with diabetes.
``We are pleased to have completed this significant milestone with respect to our medicinal chewing gum product,'' said Rose Perri, the Company's Chief Operating Officer. ``This represents the expansion of the Company's proprietary drug delivery platform as it utilizes the core science behind the Company's RapidMist(tm) delivery system in another form and application.''
About Generex
Generex is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of drug delivery systems and technologies. Generex has developed a proprietary platform technology for the delivery of drugs into the human body through the oral cavity (with no deposit in the lungs). The Company's proprietary liquid formulations allow drugs typically administered by injection to be absorbed into the body by the lining of the inner mouth using the Company's proprietary RapidMist(tm) device. The Company's flagship product, oral insulin (Generex Oral-lyn(tm)), which is available for sale in Ecuador for the treatment of patients with Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes and which was approved for sale in India in October 2007, is in Phase III clinical trials at various sites around the world. For |
