this is overlooked but key for heb, we need a way to diagnose cfs
if you cant prove someone has cfs we will never get health insurance companies to pay for ampligen
PHILADELPHIA, PA--(HealthWire)--December 6, 1996--
Diagen(R) is First Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnostic
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. (NASDAQ: HEMX) today announced that it received
patent approval on its Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) diagnostic, Diagen(R),
in ten leading European countries. The Company has applied for similar
patents in the U.S. The Company believes that the Diagen technology should
be the first accurate and direct diagnostic for CFS, thus creating the stage
for immediate medical treatments.
Currently, CFS diagnosis is a costly process of elimination. Patients
undergo a battery of tests to rule out other diseases. The newly patented
diagnostic efficiently tests a patient's peripheral blood cells for specific
immune deficits believed to be characteristic of CFS and evidencing an
abnormal viral "footprint." Diagen is a single test, therefore making
diagnosis is quicker and overall less expensive than the current diagnostic
path. "Until now, CFS sufferers have had no direct diagnosis or direct
treatment of CFS," stated Dr. Carter, CEO of HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC.
"With the Diagen patents, HEMISPHERx will be able to offer an improved,
more accurate diagnosis, identifying which patients are candidates for CFS
treatments immediately."
The patent for Diagen, entitled "Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurocognitive
Disorders," has been approved in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland including Liechtenstein,
and the United Kingdom. The Company is currently reviewing options for
distribution within these countries and expects that the test will be
available in the near future. "We estimate a considerable market for a CFS
diagnostic in Europe, which represents about 40% of the worldwide
pharmaceutical market," continued Dr. Carter.
"Chronic Fatigue is an enigmatic syndrome," explained Dr. Carter. "But we are
now able to group the patients varying symptoms, treating them as a whole
rather than catering to each part, to test specifically for CFS." CFS is a
multisystem syndrome characterized by months of debilitating fatigue
frequently associated with myalgia, headache, sore throat, low grade fever,
and tender lymph nodes. The illness interferes with everyday simple tasks
such as walking, driving, and remembering appointments. In severe cases, it
causes patients to become bedridden. There is an estimated 400,000 CFS
sufferers in the United States alone.
As previously reported, HEMISPHERx is successfully testing the first CFS
specific drug treatment, Ampligen(R), in Belgium. According to Dr. Kenneth
DeMerlier, Ph.D., M.D., head of the Belgium treatment programs,
approximately 80% of patients in the program are experiencing complete
clinical recovery. Recent U.S. studies indicate that only 2% of CFS
sufferers can expect spontaneous improvement to normal function and activity
levels. Ampligen is currently available in Canada under the Emergency Drug
Release Program, at the request of Canadian physicians.
HEMISPHERx is a pharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture and global
clinical development of drugs entities in the nucleic acid (NA) class for
chronic viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. To date,
HEMISPHERx and its subsidiaries have received over 200 patents
internationally to protect its proprietary position in NA and related drug
technologies.
CONTACT:
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC.
William A. Carter
(215) 988-0080
or
VMW, Inc.
Vicki Miles Weiner
(212) 605-3140
VMWeiner@aol.com
KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PHARMACEUTICAL
BW1080 DEC 06,1996
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