India. The Aethlon Hemopurifier® is the first medical device to selectively target the removal of infectious viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from the entire circulatory system. A clinical goal of the Aethlon-Medicity study will be to demonstrate that the Hemopurifier® is able to accelerate the benefit of HCV standard of care (SOC) drug regimens. Therapeutic filtration at the outset of SOC improves early virus reduction kinetics to levels associated with that of patients most likely to achieve a sustained viral response, which is the goal of HCV therapy. Additionally, lower quantities of HCV in circulation at the outset of SOC correlate with increased cure rates."We are grateful for this opportunity to show the pharmaceutical industry, infected patients, and shareholders that our Hemopurifier® can enhance the capabilities of drug regimens without adding additional drug toxicity and interaction risks", stated Aethlon Chairman and CEO, Jim Joyce. "Beneficial outcomes will set the stage for the early commercialization of our technology and should recalibrate industry viewpoints on addressing infectious disease conditions."
Upon the demonstration of early treatment benefit, Aethlon plans to advance commercialization through the Medicity and other regional treatment centers in India. In this regard, the company has entered into an agreement with GVK Biosciences (GVK BIO) to expand the opportunity for Aethlon to commercialize its Hemopurifier® treatment technology at three to five new clinical centers in India. GVK BIO is Asia's leading Discovery Research and Development organization. The HCV treatment opportunity for Aethlon is significant as greater than 20 million of the estimated 180 million people infected with HCV worldwide reside in India. Based on patient feedback, Aethlon also believes that citizens of other nations may chose to travel to India to seek treatments that could resolve their HCV infection.