Romark Laboratories, L.C. - News - Romark Drug Discovery Research Presented at 20th International Conference on Antiviral Research

Romark Drug Discovery Research Presented at 20th International Conference on Antiviral Research

New Drugs Show Promising Activity Against Hepatitis B and C and Influenza Viruses

Press Release: May 3, 2007

Romark Laboratories announced that data generated from its antiviral drug discovery program was communicated as part of two separate oral presentations made during the course of the 20th International Conference on Antiviral Research held this week in Palm Springs, California.

Presentation Title:	Thiazolides: A New Class of Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs Targeting Virus Maturation
Authors:	M. Gabriella Santoro¹, Allesandra Ciucci¹, Patrizia Gianferretti¹, Giuseppe Bellardo¹, Simone La Frazia¹, Stefania Carta¹, Jean-François Rossignol²; Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, ²Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Presentation Title:	Antiviral Effectiveness of Nitazoxanide Against HBV and HCV Replication In Vitro
Authors:	Brent E. Korba¹, Abigail B. Muller¹, Marc S. Ayers² and Jean-François Rossignol²; ¹Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, Maryland, ²The Romark Institute for Medical Research, Tampa, Florida

Important findings presented at the conference included the activity of thiazolides against hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and influenza A virus replication, activity against drug-resistant HBV, and synergistic interactions between thiazolides and other drugs used to treat HBV or HCV.

"This new class of drugs may have significant implications for treatment of a range of viral diseases that are poorly managed by existing therapies," said Jean-François Rossignol, M.D., Chairman and Chief Science Officer of Romark who discovered the thiazolides and is leading their clinical development.

Thiazolides are a new class of small molecule drugs that target cell signaling pathways used in viral replication. Nitazoxanide, the first of the thiazolides, is in phase II clinical development for treating chronic hepatitis C. The company plans to advance new thiazolides into clinical development for treating hepatitis B, hepatitis C and respiratory viruses within the coming year.

"There is a significant need for a new class of antiviral drugs that could be used alongside existing drugs or other new drugs in development to improve treatment outcomes and overcome drug resistance," said Brent E. Korba, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Georgetown University Medical Center. "The data presented at this meeting are very encouraging."

About Romark Laboratories
Romark Laboratories, L.C. (www.romark.com) is a biotechnology company committed to the discovery and development of innovative new small molecules for treating infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

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