Breakthrough Discovery in Bird Flu Research: PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals Announce Promising Results

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals have made a groundbreaking discovery in the fight against bird flu, with a patent-pending botanical extract, V38-AMF-1, showing complete inhibition of H5N1 and H3N2 infections in vitro. This breakthrough comes from the second arm of a multi-center, anti-viral project jointly sponsored by the two pharmaceutical companies. Building on the success of the first arm of the project, which found V38-AMF-1 effective against SARS CoV, the team led by Dr. John Tam at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has demonstrated the compound's potential in combating bird flu. The discovery has significant implications for humanity, given the recent outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and the looming threat of a human influenza pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

  • PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals have made a significant breakthrough in bird flu research, with V38-AMF-1 showing complete inhibition of H5N1 and H3N2 infections in vitro.
  • The study, part of a multi-center anti-viral project, follows up on earlier research by Dr. John Tam's team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which found V38-AMF-1 effective against SARS CoV.
  • The compound, a primary active ingredient of PRB's over-the-counter influenza medication, Vira 38, has demonstrated potential in preventing and treating bird flu infections in chickens and humans.
  • The team plans to begin testing Flustat, a V38-AMF-1 based agricultural product, on poultry stocks in the fall of 2004, with the goal of supplying poultry farms by the first quarter of 2005.
  • Lee's Pharmaceuticals is conducting a large-scale influenza human clinical trial at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong and hopes to stockpile Vira 38 for the upcoming flu season and potential bird flu outbreaks.

Statistics:

  • 100% inhibition of H5N1 and H3N2 infections in vitro by V38-AMF-1 (PRB Pharmaceuticals)
  • Over-the-counter sales of Vira 38 have been reported in Hong Kong (Lee's Pharmaceuticals)
  • The recent outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam have raised concerns of an impending human influenza pandemic (H5N1 bird flu)
  • 2005, the target year for Flustat being available for poultry farms (PRB Pharmaceuticals)

Sources:

  • Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet
  • PRB Pharmaceuticals
  • Lee's Pharmaceuticals