This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi Kim,

On the company website, there is a press release about the current fundraising being done by MDB Capitol. Out of approximately 1200 firms that do fundraising, MDB ranks fourth on return on investment (ROI), so I assume the company is positioning itself to raise the necessary funding to carry it through the clinical trials.

As for the partnering with the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences of the People's Republic of China on the development of a T-cell vaccine for rheumatoid arthritis, the vaccine follows the same T-cell platform that Tovaxin is based upon. Dr. Zhang, who discovered Tovaxin, is also developing the vaccine for RA. It is hoped that his T-cell platform will arrest all of the autoimmune diseases -- type one diabetes, lupus, Crohn's Disease, etc. I feel that the discovery of a vaccine aimed at arresting RA is further proof that they are on the right track with Tovaxin.

I have had other people comment on the financial stability of the company. I guess I will plead ignorance on financial matter. I didn't start looking at the company's ability to complete the clinical trials until someone asked about their ability to do so. From all I have read, I think their financial ups and down are typical for a small biotech company, and with the addition of a Wall Street investment firm to carryout the next fundraising, I feel confident that they will be able to bring Tovaxin to the people who need it.

Best regards, Tim

I'm an Australian and I mean no offence to our US colleagues, however the reported association between Tovaxin with a Chinese organization might be a positve step forward. Aimspro, Neurovax and Tovaxin (as well as SCT) have all looked good at some stage or other, but have been slowed down by Western government regulation and/or politics. Possibly a Chinese 'beachhead' will allow Tovaxin to be introduced to the World faster and with less constraint than it could otherwise.

On the other hand, by buying out the Chinese Tovaxin may simply be trying to negate the opposition...but they wouldn't be that naiive, would they?

Regards,
Phil.

Phil

I take no offense whatsoever. I don't know about Aimspro and Tovaxin, but I suspect in the case of Neurovax that it's been slowed down because the U.S. drug development policy seems to be one of supporting clinical trials by companies instead of supporting university based research and clinical trials. At the point Neurovax showed some promise at the university level it seems to me a company became involved to provide the financial support for the clinical trials. Just one person's opinion.

Sharon

Tim, you have built websites and posted your story in many forums that raised a lot of interest and hope. In the spirit of full disclosure a couple of things should be addressed.

Public information shows that Terry Wesner sits on the Board of Directors of PharmaFrontiers and together with Mary Ann Wesner they control more than 540,000 shares of company stock. Aren't they your parents? If so, why didn't you feel it was relevant to disclose this relationship?

Why were past diary entries on your website originally written by your father from his viewpoint edited to now be written by your brothers?

Isecu,

You raise an interesting matter. If true, it would seem prudent for Tim to disclose the level of his family's interest in the organization.

Additionally, there have been enquiries on this MS message board and others from time to time as to why Tim is the only 'MS face' of Tovaxin. For a product with so much reported potential there surely must be others who have benefited. Given your information Isecu, it would be appropriate now, more than ever, for others (if they exist) to come forward and tell their story.

Phil.

Honestly, if what isecu says is true, I can only feel disgust for Tim and PharmaFrontiers. I.e., it is a play on desperate emotions of desperate people.

I hope I am wrong. But, as far as I can tell, PharmaFrontiers never disclosed how many MSers they had in their Phase I/II study. To not do this is shady research. This is just another point of shadiness.

This website appears to be legit;

http://www.crystalra.com/pdf/PFTR-OB_EIO_11-21-05.pdf

If anyone wants to have a look at what is said about this topic. Look on p.11. I only spent a minute looking it up online (I’m really tired today!) but I will do a more thorough search about this in the next few days. What Isecu said could be true. I also think that this info (if true) should have been disclosed.

As far as Tovaxin is concerned, I just think that it is too early to get our hopes up just yet on this medication (I know it’s hard...I would give anything to get rid of ms myself!!). So far, Tovaxin has been tested on only a few individuals for a short period of time. As far as I am concerned, it is safer to at least wait for the results of the next phase of the Tovaxin clinical trial before getting our hopes up too high. Just my .02 cents...

But has anyone looked at Isecu's web information? I just clicked on the "WWW" button at the bottom of his entry.

<shortened url>

Sarah

_________________
An Itinerary in Light and Shadow Completed Dr Charles Stratton / Dr David Wheldon abx regime for aggressive secondary progressive MS in June 2007, after four years. Still improving with no relapses since starting. Can't run but can paint all day.

The information regarding Terry Wesner is publicly available from PharmaFrontiers' web site. Moreover, a whois search indicates that Terry Wesner is regsistrant for the ihavems.com domain name. I don't see any attempt to hide this information.

http://www.pharmafrontiers.net/board.php

NHE

I guess all forums (fora?) are liable to be used as marketing tools but thanks, ieascu, for revealing the advertorial. We all have to be so careful not to be gullible in our desperation.

Tovaxin was one of my big hopes. But as usual it would appear that MS is the winner again. Whether Tim's story was a complete fabrication only time will tell. But as someone said we shouldn't get carried away with one persons account - show me 50 Tims and I would be interested. Neurovax is another great hope, but the press articles only ever refer to one case.

Ian

Hi to all,

Wow! isecu has certainly put me on the hot seat, but I will try to answer all of the points that are raised. Unfortunately, I have an exercise class soon, and I will also need to ask some questions to get all of the questions answered. I will post again tonight.

I am a real person, although in the FDA study, I am referred to by a combination of 6 letters and numbers. Due to the government HIPAA rules, I cannot find out any information about anyone else in the study. Through my website, I have had 3 other study participants contact me. Unless they give me permission, I cannot post any information about them. The company was able to report a 92% reduction in attacks and a decrease in disability at the International MS Meeting last fall. I assume that this is a summarization of how all of us are doing.

I see Ian just posted. I have complimented him on his through compilation of all of the drugs that are now in FDA trials. My original post on this site came after he posted information about Tovaxin. As he points out with Neurovax, information about study participants is hard to get. That was my primary reason for having a site.

Stress is something we should all try to avoid. I assume some of you may be feeling some stress over the suggestion that I might be a fabrication. I am a little stressed by all of this myself. I am not capable of answering every question that might be asked, but I will be back tonight.

Best regards, Tim

Is it me or is the tone of Tim's e-mail slightly odd?



The tone doesn't quite fit with the websie image of the young man who couldn't do up his zip.

'Fabrication' - you said it Tim.

Good to see that Tim is going to a fitness class as remember, a few years ago he was in a wheelchair (or so we were told).

It's quite amazing that a drug so effective and safe hasn't been fast-tracked.

If Tim knows some of the other participants perhaps they could post their experience.


Reading between the lines I think we can cross out Tovaxin as a promising future therapy.

Ian

I'm not ready to dismiss Tim's account just yet. However, I happen to work in finance and this kind of grassroots "hype" could be suggestive of the desperation of a company whose stock is trading at around $.55 per share. Hopefully I'm totally wrong and Tovaxin is the real deal and will be proven in larger studies but clearly cash is king in the world of pharmaceuticals.

Isecu, Thank you for the excellent investigative work. Even if Tovaxin does turn out to be legit, I think you have identified a very crucial set of facts regarding Tim. It does seem as though the way Tim posts is more of an advertisement. The same turn-key post is on many forums. It does raise my supsicion. Still, I hope it turns out to be legit. The theory behind Tovaxin seems logical, although I guess every thing about MS seems to defy logic.??