Restanza shows greater efficacy against species of Plasmodium that cause malaria

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced positive results from in vitro and in vivo studies assessing the efficacy of Restanza™ (cethromycin), its novel oral antibiotic, against the species of Plasmodium that cause malaria. In the in vitro study comparing Restanza to azithromycin, Restanza showed two to ten-fold greater efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum with the IC50 and IC90 levels, respectively, ranging from 0.2 to 2.7 and 0.6 to 6.2 ug/mL, regardless of chloroquine susceptibility. Most notably, in the in vivo study, Restanza showed 100% efficacy in treating mice infected with Plasmodium berghei and was approximately three-fold more potent than azithromycin at half of the same dose.

"These promising data underscore Restanza's demonstrated broad activity against multiple disease-causing infectious agents, including Streptococcus pneummoniae, a variety of pathogens that represent potential bioterror threats and, now, the species of parasites that cause malaria," said Michael T. Flavin, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Advanced Life Sciences. "We believe that Restanza represents a promising pipeline in and of itself, and we intend to continue to explore the wide range of its therapeutic potential. Our goal is to generate a portfolio of indications that we can develop and commercialize either on our own or in partnership with pharmaceutical companies with established anti-infective franchises."