Wednesday September 30, 6:54 pm Eastern Time
Clarification: CFIDS Sufferers
Estimated at 500,000 in U.S., 2 Million Worldwide
Chronic Fatigue Sufferers Over 4 Million in U.S. Alone
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Hemispherx Biopharma
NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemispherx Biopharma (Amex: HEB - news)
today said that the findings of the Annals of Internal Medicine article cited in a release
issued by the company earlier today support previous statements that the incidence of
Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) is about half a million people in
the U.S. and 2 million worldwide, with millions more suffering from Chronic Fatigue alone.
The July 15, 1995 Annals of Medicine article (p. 81) states that the estimated crude point
prevalence of CFIDS ''... ranged from 76 to 267 cases per 100,000 persons.'' Given the U.S.
Census Bureau estimate of the current U.S. population of 270.7 million (available at
www.census.gov), this incidence rate translates to a range of 205,732 to 722,769. The
Annals of Medicine article (p. 81) further stated that ''... the prevalence of chronic fatigue
alone was strikingly higher; it ranged from 1,776 to 6,321 cases per 100,000 persons.'' This
incidence rate translates to a range of 4-6 million people.
These figures are consistent with the CFIDS estimates that Hemispherx has been
disseminating to investors, as reflected in its shareholder publications and in the recent
research reports that have been published by the analysts who follow the company closely.
Hemispherx's recent general letter to shareholders dated July 20, 1998 stated that CFIDS ''...
affects over 500,000 persons in the United States and over 2 million persons worldwide,''
which is the wording intended for today's earlier release. The June 25, 1998 analyst report
by Value Management and Research stated that CFIDS ''... affects approximately 600,000
people in the U.S. and another 600,000 in Europe.'' The July 21, 1998 report by Biovest
stated that CFIDS affects an ''... estimated 500,000 patients in the U.S.'' Similar estimates
have appeared in numerous Hemispherx press releases.
The only analyst report that has been seriously in error was one issued on September 22,
1998 by Asensio & Company, which estimated the U.S. incidence of CFIDS at about 26,000.
The Asensio & Company estimate, which is about 20 times lower than the consensus
estimates, apparently relied on outdated estimates made by the Centers for Disease Control
in the early 1990s, which the CDC itself repudiated several years ago.
SOURCE: Hemispherx Biopharma
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