THE ONLY THING ANTISENSE THERAPY NEEDS IS CYGS TECHNOLOGY
the following newswire re: ISIP and anti sense therapy mentions that the ONE holdup is a delivery system - a way to get the ssDNA message [if you will] to the right /exact place it is neeeded is via a delivery system - CYGS has that needed delivery system! READ for yourself!
07/20 DJ =FDA Panel Reviews Isis Pharmas' Eye Drug for AIDS Patients
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ISIP) will ask a federal panel Wednesday to back its drug Vitravene, which treats an AIDS-related infection that results in blindness.
Vitravene is the first antisense drug reviewed by the FDA.
Antisense drugs are created using DNA coding. The FDA will make the final decision about
clearing the drug for marketing. The agency usually follows the advice of the
advisory panels it convenes.
Isis is working with CIBA Vision Corp., Novartis AG's (Z.NOV) eye care unit,
on Vitravene. When Isis filed its application with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration last April, CIBA paid Isis $20 million. CIBA will be the only
worldwide distributor of Vitravene.
Vitravene is designed to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis, also called
CMV-induced retinitis. CMV retinitis causes severe inflammatory changes in the
retina that result in blindness.
A. Paul Boni, a research analyst who follows Isis for Punk, Ziegel & Co.,
said if approved sales of the drug will be modest because of advances in AIDS
treatments.
"This could decrease the potential market for drugs like this," Boni said.
Boni estimated U.S. sales could reach $12 million annually and worldwide
sales could be double that.
Even though Vitravene isn't expected to be a blockbuster, Boni said it is
still an important drug.
"This is a milestone and an accomplishment from a scientific point of view,"
Boni said.
Vitravene's approval could pave the way for other antisense drugs, he said.
Boni said Roche, Astra and Chiron (CHIR) make products for treating CMV
retinitis.
Steven Delco, who follows Isis for Miller Tavak Hirsch + Co. agreed that this
will be a well-watched approval process.
"This will be one of the most important approvals for the biotech industry in
the last couple of years," Delco said. "This is a whole new class of drugs." |
