Oral interferon with Tamiflu in the treatment of influenza

Dec 20, 2010 09:41 ET

Amarillo Biosciences Announces Study of Oral Interferon and Tamiflu for Treatment of Influenza

AMARILLO, TX--(Marketwire - December 20, 2010) - Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. (ABI) (OTCBB: AMAR) today announced that a clinical trial of ABI's interferon-alpha lozenges for the treatment of influenza will be launched in Taiwan in 2011. The pilot study, approved by the Taiwanese Department of Health, will enroll the first of 60 planned subjects in January. Half of the patients with confirmed influenza A infection will be assigned to 5 days of twice daily treatment with interferon lozenges and half will receive placebo. All of the patients will also receive standard, 5-day treatment with Tamiflu. The aim of the study is to explore the possible benefits of combining oral interferon with Tamiflu in the treatment of influenza. Final study results are expected to be available in July 2011.

This new study is expected to add to the body of evidence that oral interferon is safe and effective in treating and preventing flu. A 200-subject study completed in Perth, Australia last year found that healthy volunteers who took oral interferon once a day during the winter cold and flu season had significantly fewer episodes of moderate to severe acute febrile respiratory illness (cold/flu with a fever), compared to volunteers who took placebo. Previously, human studies in the former Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Japan and China reported that oral interferon is a safe and effective treatment for influenza.

About Amarillo BiosciencesAmarillo Biosciences, Inc. is a U.S. biotechnology firm operating in global partnership with the Hayashibara Group, which also holds 5.4% of Amarillo Biosciences shares and has provided over $18 million in loans, grants and equity investments. The Company's primary focus is extensive and ongoing R&D into the use of low-dose, orally administered interferon as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including influenza, hepatitis C, chronic cough, and opportunistic infections in patients who are HIV positive. The Company has invested nearly $40 million to establish oral interferon as a therapeutic agent. The majority of those funds were invested in clinical trials in an effort to achieve FDA approval for interferon. Additional information is available on the web at http://www.amarbio.com/.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties related to product development, uncertainties related to the need for regulatory and other government approvals, dependence on proprietary technology, uncertainty of market acceptance of oral interferon or the Company's other product candidates and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see "Item 1. Description of Business" and "Item 7A. Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk" of the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009.

Investor Relations:Philippe Niemetz PAN Consultants, Ltd. e-mail: p.niemetz@panconsultants.com Tel: 800-477-7570; 212-344-6464Fax: 212-618-1276Joseph M. Cummins, DVM, PhDAmarillo Biosciences, Inc. e-mail: jcummins@amarbio.com Tel: 806-376-1741 x 13Fax: 806-376-9301

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