Access Pharmaceutical's Cobalamin Oral Insulin Achieves Greater Than 80% Oral Bioavailability In Preclinical Models
January 19 2010 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
DALLAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS,
INC. (OTC:ACCP) (BULLETIN BOARD: ACCP) provided an update today on
its Cobalamin(TM) oral drug delivery product development programs.
The proprietary Cobalamin(TM) technology utilizes the body's
natural vitamin B12 oral uptake mechanism to facilitate oral
absorption of pharmaceuticals by a "Trojan horse" mechanism. Access
has focused its Cobalamin product development program on the oral
delivery of insulin and human growth hormone, two peptides which
currently can only be given by injection. A new Cobalamin-coated
insulin-containing nanoparticle formulation delivered orally
provided a pharmacological response (lowering of blood glucose
levels in an animal model of diabetes) greater than 80% of that
achieved by insulin delivered subcutaneously. This represents a
substantial oral bioavailability, indicating that this formulation
has potential for clinical development and ultimate
commercialization. Adaptation of this technology has provided a
Cobalamin human growth hormone formulation that has demonstrated
good efficacy, represented by more than 25% improvement in weight
gain, when given orally in an established animal model. Access
continues to move both products towards clinical development, and
plans to submit an additional patent application to protect the
improvements to the technology. "While Access continues to explore
potential collaborations on multiple applications of our
technology, our Cobalamin oral insulin product continues to be the
focus of current collaborative work," said Phillip Wise, Access'
Vice President of Business Development and Strategy. "We continue
to work with two companies testing Cobalamin oral insulin in
multiple animal models. Meanwhile, we are pursuing options with
other companies with the goal of initiating a proof-of-concept in
man study." Cobalamin is Access' proprietary technology based upon
the use of vitamin B12 for oral drug delivery of drugs that
otherwise have poor oral bioavailability. It also has potential for
targeted delivery of drugs to disease sites. Access is developing
its Cobalamin technology under multiple collaborative agreements,
and is in discussion with other companies regarding the application
of the Cobalamin technology to other active drug candidates. "While
Access' focus has been on the oral delivery of peptides, the
technology is sufficiently flexible to allow us to deliver a wide
range of actives," commented David P. Nowotnik, Ph.D, Access'
Senior Vice President of R&D. "In addition to peptide delivery,
we have received inquiries recently about the potential of this
technology to deliver actives ranging from small molecules to siRNA
to monoclonal antibodies. As siRNA needs to be delivered
intracellularly to be effective as a therapeutic, the Cobalamin
technology may be particularly beneficial as an intracellular
delivery technology, as the demand for vitamin B12 increases in
many disease states." About Access: Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is
an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and
commercializes propriety products for the treatment and supportive
care of cancer patients. Access' products include ProLindac(TM),
currently in Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian
cancer, and MuGard(TM) for the management of patients with
mucositis. The company also has other advanced drug delivery
technologies including Cobalamin(TM)-mediated targeted delivery and
oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology
based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism; and Thiarabine,
a new generation nucleoside analog which has demonstrated both
pre-clinical and clinical activity in certain cancers. For
additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our
website at http://www.accesspharma.com/. This press release
contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the
meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include
those relating to: our ability to close the financing transaction,
early results from our clinical trial, Access' plans to continue
and initiate clinical trials, the value of its products in the
market, its ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and
its ability to successfully develop marketed products. These
statements are subject to numerous risks, including but not limited
Access' need to obtain additional financing in order to continue
the clinical trial and operations and to the risks detailed in
Access' Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed by
Access with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact:
Company Contact: Investor Relations ----------------
--------------------------- Stephen B. Thompson Donald C.
Weinberger/ Vice President, Chief Financial Alisa Steinberg (media)
Officer Wolfe Axelrod Weinberger Assoc. LLC Access Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (212) 370-4500 (214) 905-5100 DATASOURCE: Access
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Stephen B. Thompson, Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
+1-214-905-5100; or Investor Relations, Donald C. Weinberger or
Alisa Steinberg of Wolfe Axelrod Weinberger Assoc. LLC,
+1-212-370-4500 Web Site: http://www.accesspharma.com/
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