11th May. 2006: DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - Investigational New Animal Drug Designed to Combat Avian Flu; Healthy Chicken Study is the First in Series of Studies Designed to Determine Whether Adding Active Ingredient to Chicken Feed will Reduce Infectivity in Potential H5N1 Outbreak.
Quigley Pharma, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Quigley Corporation (Nasdaq: QGLY - News), announced today its forward motion for QR-441(a) as a first response agent in safeguarding perimeter zones around a possible H5N1 outbreak in the United States. A healthy chicken medical feed study is now being readied for QR-441(a) under the direction of Dr. Timothy Cummings. In March of this year, the Company announced that it would be initiating a series of controlled experiments designed to test its all natural broad spectrum antiviral compound QR-441 (a) against H5N1 (avian flu) in poultry stocks.
Delivering QR-441(a) via Poultry Medical Feed is to determine if this form has advantages over other of modes of drug delivery. Medical Feed may have several advantages such as safety and convenience as well as its potential effect on fecal viral burden. Feces are the most important method of viral transmission in poultry stocks.
Following this initial healthy chicken medical feed study the Company plans to conduct challenge studies in chickens infected with H5N1. If the initial studies show the medical feed option as unsuitable, the Company will pursue other avenues of drug delivery.
"A compound such as QR-441(a) may provide the poultry industry and government agencies an additional method to safeguard our nation's food supply," stated Richard Rosenbloom, COO, Quigley Pharma.
Should an outbreak of H5N1 occur in the United States, the federal and local government, working in conjunction with the poultry industry, will likely establish a hot zone where all poultry will be slaughtered. Immediately outside the hot zone will be a buffer zone perimeter in which poultry will be at a greater risk of infection by H5N1 than those further outside the hot zone. QR-441(a) is designed specifically for use in this buffer zone perimeter.
QR-441(a) is made from botanical components and may be incorporated into current poultry feed and water supplies, making the compound a potential agent that might be used to reduce or eliminate the chance of further infection immediately outside these H5N1 hot zones.
Other studies are now being designed to test if QR-441(a) will also protect other animals, such as swine, within these H5N1 hot zones. Pigs are a unique, important factor in fighting H5N1 as they are most likely to be the breeding ground for mutations to H5N1 that might facilitate transmission to and between humans.
QR-441(a) is a broad-spectrum antiviral compound that has been shown to prevent the transmission of Influenza A in animal model studies and demonstrated strong antiviral properties against the H5N1 virus in in-vitro studies. Data has shown that this compound seems to prevent infectivity and transmissibility of Influenza viruses.
The Quigley Corporation makes no representation that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory agency will allow the aforementioned compound to be marketed as a veterinary drug. Furthermore, no claim is made that the potential medicine discussed here is safe, effective, or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The Quigley Corporation is the leading developer and marketer of diversified health products. The company's proven success in launching first- in-category health solutions supports the Pharma subsidiary in its efforts to develop strong pharmaceutical compounds targeting diverse conditions such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis with naturally derived compounds and botanicals.
