ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adeona
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AEN), announced today that it has
executed an agreement with F&F Foods of Chicago, Illinois, to provide commercial-scale
manufacturing of wellZin™, the Company's oral zinc lozenge
to reduce the duration and symptoms of the common cold. Adeona is
planning to commercialize wellZin, a lozenge that contains
13.3 mg of zinc acetate, based on formulations clinically tested by
Ananda S. Prasad, M.D., Ph.D., a
Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and an
Adeona Scientific Advisory Board member. wellZin is intended
to be a natural, safe and effective homeopathic over-the-counter
(OTC) medicine for the common cold.
In July 2011, Adeona obtained
exclusive access to statistically significant clinical data from
two separate studies conducted by Dr. Prasad that evaluated the
effectiveness of zinc acetate lozenges on the reduction of the
duration and the symptoms of the common cold. Based upon findings
from Dr. Prasad's two clinical studies[i],[ii] and his expertise as
a pioneer in the field of zinc, he believes that many of the zinc
preparations currently available on the market include a
sub-optimal formulation and/or dose of zinc, and also include
flavors and binders that diminish the effectiveness of zinc
treatment for the common cold. In a February
15, 2011, New York Times
article that referred to the recently published Cochrane Review of
zinc for the common cold, Dr. Prasad was quoted as saying, "The
public is confused because people have used the wrong dose, they
have used the wrong sort of zinc or they have not started the
treatment within 24 hours of onset."
"I am so excited to make wellZin commercially available
for adults suffering from the symptoms of the common cold. When I
notice cold symptoms coming on, it is the worst feeling and
wellZin has the potential to cut the duration and the
severity of symptoms of the common cold in half if you start taking
it right away," stated James S. Kuo,
M.D., M.B.A., Adeona's Chief Executive Officer. "That is why
executing this agreement with F&F Foods for the manufacturing
of wellZin is so important – it brings us one step for
closer to commercialization."
About wellZin™
Adeona's proprietary wellZin lozenge is intended to
reduce the duration and symptoms of the common cold when taken
within 24 hours of symptom onset. wellZin contains 13.3 mg
of zinc acetate based on Dr. Prasad's statistically significant
clinical findings in two clinical trials[i],[ii], and is intended
to be commercialized as a homeopathic OTC medicine. Plans for
manufacturing, packaging and marketing of wellZin are
currently underway.
The trademarked name, wellZin, is derived from the
combination of "well", as the product seeks to help people
suffering from symptoms of the common cold, and "Zin", the root
used to distinguish the zinc family brand of products under
development by Adeona.
About Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Adeona is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing
innovative medicines for the treatment of serious central nervous
system diseases. The Company's strategy is to license product
candidates that have demonstrated a certain level of clinical
efficacy and develop them to a stage that results in a significant
commercial collaboration. Adeona is developing, or has partnered
the development of, drug product candidates to treat multiple
sclerosis, fibromyalgia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and
Alzheimer's disease. The Company is currently preparing to make the
following products commercially available: reaZin™, a
prescription medical food for the dietary management of zinc
deficiency associated with Alzheimer's disease, and
wellZin™, a homeopathic over-the-counter medicine for
reducing the duration and symptoms of the common cold. Adeona also
operates Adeona Clinical Laboratory, a wholly owned clinical
reference laboratory that provides a broad array of chemistry and
microbiology diagnostic tests. For more information, please visit
Adeona's website at www.adeonapharma.com.
This release includes forward-looking statements on Adeona's
current expectations and projections about future events. In some
cases forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology
such as "may," "could," "potential," "positions," "continue,"
"expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believe,"
"estimates," and similar expressions. These statements are based
upon current beliefs, expectations and assumptions and are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult
to predict and include statements regarding the use of zinc to
reduce the duration and symptoms of the common cold and our intent
to further commercialize development of wellZin. The
forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set
forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those reflected in Adeona's forward-looking statements include,
among others, our failure to successfully commercialize our product
candidates, including wellZin, the failure of wellZin to reduce the
duration and symptoms of the common cold, the failure of future
clinical trials studying our product candidates, including
wellZin, to have favorable results, and other factors described in
Adeona's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and any other filings with the
SEC. The information in this release is provided only as of the
date of this release, and Adeona undertakes no obligation to update
any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account
of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required
by law.
[i] Prasad AS, Beck FWJ, Bao B, Snell DC, Fitzgerald JT,
Duration and Severity of Symptoms and Levels of Plasma
Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist, Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor
Receptor, and Adhesion Molecules in Patients with Common Cold
Treated with Zinc Acetate, JID, 2008; 197:795-802.
[ii] Prasad AS, Fitzgerald JT, Bao B, Beck FWJ, Chandrasekar PH,
Duration of Symptoms and Plasma Cytokine Levels in Patients with
the Common Cold Treated with Zinc Acetate, Ann Intern Med,
2000; 133:245-252.
SOURCE Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc.