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Biotech / Medical : BMRA (Biomerica) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Johnny X who wrote (68)	4/30/1998 12:45:00 PM
From: Radam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 170

BIOMERICA RECEIVES NOTICE OF PATENT ALLOWANCE ON TEST TO DETECT Diabetes Before The Onset NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Biomerica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRA) announced today that it has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a key patent covering its diagnostic test that provides clinicians an early warning indicator to type I (insulin dependent) diabetes. The test, part of Biomerica's diabetes product line, detects Islet Cell Autoantibodies (ICA) which identifies high risk individuals susceptible to developing type I diabetes up to several years before the onset of the disease. "Our corporate strategy includes obtaining intellectual property rights for our important products. This diagnostic test is a very valuable tool, providing health care professionals a simple way to determine if an individual is likely to develop this unfortunate disease. It will improve patient care while also containing health care costs by detecting the potential for the disease at an early stage," said Biomerica's CEO, Mr. Zackary Irani. "Biomerica now has the most comprehensive product line to detect individuals who are predisposed to developing type I diabetes," Irani added. The test is marketed internationally under the trade-name Isletest(R)-ICA. It utilizes an advanced technology yet can be performed at almost any clinical laboratory using low cost common equipment. The test requires only a blood sample. Biomerica plans to market the product in the United States upon conducting and completing clinical studies necessary to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance. Diabetes impacts more than 15 million Americans - one in 20 - and an average of 798,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that over 5.4 million people have the disease but remain undiagnosed. Type I diabetes, also called insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes, is believed to account for up to 15% of all diagnosed cases of the disease. The total direct healthcare costs and indirect costs of diabetes was estimated at $92 billion in the United States during 1992. The record number of cases is linked to Americans becoming more overweight, less active and living to older ages.