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RPI-78M

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:02 pm
by scoobyjude
Nutra Pharma Announces ReceptoPharm Patent for a Method of Treating Multiple Sclerosis 11 April 2007
Nutra Pharma Corp. a biotechnology company that is developing drugs for HIV and Multiple Sclerosis has today announced that its drug discovery division, ReceptoPharm, has filed a patent for a method of treating autoimmune diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The patent discusses a method of treatment that uses ReceptoPharm's lead drug candidate, RPI-78M, to induce gamma-interferon and interleukin-27 (IL-27). IL-27 is a recently discovered and important anti-inflammatory regulator in cells of the immune system.

"We are pleased to announce this important discovery by ReceptoPharm," commented Rik J Deitsch, Chairman and CEO of Nutra Pharma Corporation. "Recently, larger biotechnology companies, including Genentech, have shown interest in ways to control this pathway as a means to treat several autoimmune diseases. Some have even proposed the direct use of IL-27 to down regulate the autoimmune process," he added.

The ReceptoPharm patent provides a new way of controlling autoimmune diseases. Inducing IL-27 and gamma-interferon shut down the inflammation process by influencing the release of another interleukin, IL-17, that is a newly discovered component in maintaining the inflammation and autoimmune process.

"This discovery is significant to our continued research and development, as it identifies the mechanism of action for RPI-78M," explained Paul Reid, CEO of ReceptoPharm, Inc. "We believe that our drug is the first to induce the expression of IL-27, which represents a novel way to approach the treatment of several autoimmune diseases," he concluded.

In March, ReceptoPharm received notification of acceptance of its paper, entitled "Alpha-Cobratoxin as a possible therapy for Multiple Sclerosis; a review of the literature leading to its development for this application," for publication in the Critical Reviews in Immunology special conference issue. In addition, the Company recently announced its nonbinding letter of intent with Nanogene Biotechnology to create a joint venture in China aimed at developing its antiviral drug, RPI-MN, for the Chinese market.

Source: Nutra Pharma Corp.