Dr Jiahai Lu, from the School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, has published extensively in the field of avian influenza, and has been researching the breakthrough compound StatC(TM) for the past two-years on behalf of Canopus Biopharma (OTCPK:CBIA), a US corporation who discovered and patented the potential of this antiviral candidate.

"The global distribution of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has caused the World Health Organisation to show its profound concern regarding the possibility of the virus spreading from human to human in the future," stated Dr Lu. "Furthermore, the development of resistance to two approved anti-influenza drugs, oseltamivir (Tamiflu?) and zanamivir (Relenza?), as well as the lack of adequate vaccines has increased the need of developing new antiviral drugs."

"Consequently, I am delighted to be involved in the preclinical research stage of this innovative antiviral candidate, and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with Canopus Biopharma in this area."

Dr Lu and his colleagues have conducted extensive animal studies with StatC(TM) against three influenza strains, H5N1 (avian influenza, bird flu), H1N1 (Spanish influenza) and H3N2 (Hong Kong influenza). StatC(TM) is a combination of two FDA approved compounds which have been re-formulated by Canopus BioPharma for the prevention and treatment of Influenza. Oseltamivir and ribavirin were used as positive controls in this study. In the H5N1 model, StatC(TM) prevented and relieved the symptoms of H5N1 infection, inhibited lung damage and H5N1 virus replication in the lungs of mice, and was as effective as oseltamivir in both prevention and therapy models. There were no animals with positive viral detection in the groups nasally administered with StatC(TM). Likewise, StatC(TM) demonstrated similar results against the H3N2 and H1N1 viruses.

"We are encouraged with these findings," said Dr Lu. "It is possible that higher doses of statin than those used in this study may result in even greater efficacy. StatC(TM) also appeared to be more effective when administered preventatively." With current positive results, Canopus BioPharma is looking to form a co-development agreement or licensing arrangements with pharmaceutical companies and government health authorities interested in providing more economical and universal treatment for their populations in the event of a pandemic.

At the forefront of influenza research in Guangzhou, China, Dr Lu is perfectly placed to further investigate the synergistic properties of the statin/caffeine combination. "We are also motivated at the potential of this compound in comparison with other currently available anti-influenza medications. It's clear that there is significant global need for a superior, low cost and plentiful alternative in the fight against influenza." added Dr Lu. While StatC(TM) has proven to be highly efficacious against the most virulent strains of influenza, it must be noted that StatC(TM) is also extremely effective against non-fatal, human forms of the virus that occur annually.

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, oseltamivir (Tamiflu?) is the leading prescription medicine approved for the prevention and treatment of influenza in adults and children. Datamonitor, the world's leading provider of online data, analytic and forecasting platforms for key vertical sectors, forecasts that global market demand for influenza treatments will expand to 370 million doses and a market value of approximately US$3.7 billion by 2010.

Canopus BioPharma's strategy for developing StatC(TM) includes continued animal testing in partnership with its extensive network of American and Chinese based research laboratories. The next step involves a ferret animal model using a lethal strain of influenza to examine the efficacy of StatC(TM). Once completed, Canopus BioPharma's preclinical results will then satisfy the FDA's Animal Efficacy Rule and will make StatC(TM) available for government stockpiling for use in the case of a pandemic.

About Canopus BioPharma, Inc.:

Canopus BioPharma, Inc. (OTCPK:CBIA) is dedicated to providing the safest, most cost effective and efficacious pharmaceutical products and assay methods in the areas of infectious disease, radiation protection, cancer, and addiction. With innovative science, proven research and development leadership, and superior products and compounds, Canopus BioPharma has, since 2001, been committed to becoming a market trend setter in a new era of healthcare. In addition, the Co is a world leader in the development of novel camelid antibody products to provide unique avenues of progress and improvement in assay methods and monitoring capabilities for physicians, patients and researchers, particularly for food chain protection applications. Canopus maintains staff in Australia, South Africa, Ireland and the USA. Additional information on the Co is available at http://www.canopusbiopharma.com.

另一个结果：

Researchers recommend more rabies vaccinations for dogs

Flickr/ledpup

[BEIJING] Improved post-exposure treatment is urgently needed to control China's surging human rabies cases, a study reveals.

China has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of human deaths from rabies since the 1990s, according to the study published last week (21 August) in BMC Infectious Diseases. In 2006, 3,279 cases of human rabies were reported — compared to 159 in 1996.

Rabies, a viral infection of the nervous system transmitted by animal bites, kills around 50,000 globally each year. With a nearly 100 per cent death rate, the best prevention against human rabies is preventive treatment, termed post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which consists of wound cleaning, multiple vaccinations and injections of rabies antibodies after suffering a bite.

But Lu Jiahai of China's Sun Yat-Sen University and colleagues found that in the last four years, only about one-third of patients who died from rabies each year received vaccinations.

Their conclusions are based on analysis of human rabies data in China between 1990 and 2007 and a further analysis of 244 rabies cases in the Guangdong region between 2003 and 2004.

They discovered that of the 244 deaths, 67 per cent did not seek any medical treatment and of the 33 per cent who received PEP, only six received a full regime. These six patients also died, possibly because improper storage reduced the quality of the vaccine or the severity of the bites.

"According to the current WHO guidelines, none of the 244 cases reported received both adequate and sufficient post-exposure treatment," the researchers write.

Lack of awareness about rabies, the relatively high cost of vaccines, relaxed vaccination of dogs and a lack of coordination between the medical and veterinary sectors are also contributing to the high number of cases, Lu says.

In the early 1990s, national dog vaccination campaigns were able to dramatically reduce rabies cases, and Lu says that vaccinations of dogs and humans should be included in the voluntary national vaccination programmes.

He adds that investment in public education and training grassroots medical workers should be enhanced, and a specialised public body should be established to regulate animal-transmitted diseases in China.

Tang Qing, a rabies researcher at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, says her research has also revealed inadequate PEP.

"The Ministry of Health has paid attention to this problem and released a guideline, and our centre has drafted operation details to be distributed among hospital medical workers who are being trained in this measure," she told SciDev.Net.

Link to full paper in BMC Infectious Diseases