VERNON HILLS, Ill., and NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Immtech International, Inc. and Tulane University announced today that Tulane has granted to Immtech an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize a class of aminoquinoline drugs for treatment, prophylaxis and diagnosis of infectious diseases. Included in the class of aminoquinoline drug candidates is the lead compound called AQ13 which is targeted as a candidate for treatment of and prophylaxis for malaria.
Malaria is one of the biggest killer diseases with the majority of its victims being young children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. In a human Phase I trial, AQ13 was shown to be well tolerated and preclinical analysis indicates that AQ13 is highly active against Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe form of malaria. AQ13 has also shown good activity against resistant isolates of malaria; drug resistance is the primary cause of malaria treatment failures globally. Immtech plans to commence clinical development of AQ13 upon receipt of funding from a foundation.
Daniel M. Schmitt, Vice President, Licensing and Commercial Development of Immtech, said, “AQ13 shows significant promise in fighting malaria and is an excellent partner for combination therapy studies with our next generation compounds. We are excited about expanding Immtech’s product pipeline by partnering with Tulane. We are very committed to partnering with foundations and universities to develop drugs for treatment of diseases in developing countries.”
Donald J. Krogstad, M.D., Henderson Professor and Chair, Tulane University Department of Tropical Medicine, said “I am truly excited to be teaming up with Immtech to advance Tulane’s aminoquinoline program. Immtech brings significant depth of expertise in clinical, regulatory, and commercial development to complement our discovery capabilities and knowledge of these molecules. Together, I believe we will have a significant impact on the treatment of this devastating disease which causes millions of deaths per year”.
The market for anti-malaria drugs is focused on a population of 2.6 billion people living in the developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. In addition there are approximately 125 million international travelers who require prophylaxis when visiting countries where malaria is endemic.
We believe there is a pressing need for new drugs driven primarily by the increasing resistance of malaria parasites to commonly available antimalarial drugs. Each year an estimated 300-500 million new clinical cases of malaria occur globally that result in 1.5 million to 2 million deaths. The most significant problem is in children under the age of five in Africa, where approximately 1 million children infected with malaria die each year.
About Tulane University
Tulane University is a leading private research institution. Founded in 1834 in New Orleans, Tulane is home to 11 schools and colleges offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in architecture, business, engineering, law, liberal arts and sciences, medicine, public health and tropical medicine and social work. Tulane is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. For additional information, please go to http://www.tulane.edu.
About Immtech International
Immtech International, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing drugs to treat infectious diseases, and the Company is expanding targeted markets by applying its proprietary pharmaceutical platform to treat many other disorders. Immtech has advanced clinical programs that include new treatments for malaria, Pneumocystis pneumonia and African sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis) and drug development programs for tuberculosis and fungal infections. The Company has worldwide licensing and exclusive commercialization rights to a large library of well-defined compounds from which a pipeline of therapeutic products could be developed. For additional information, please go to http://www.immtech-international.com.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Immtech International, Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.
Immtech International, Inc.
CONTACT: F. C. Thompson for Immtech International, Inc., +1-877-898-8038
