NIAID scientists confirm antiviral activity of two lead compounds against HPV

Tamir Biotechnology, Inc. (Pink Sheets: ACEL) (formerly Alfacell Corporation) announced today that scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported test results confirming two of our lead compounds showed excellent in vitro antiviral activity and no cellular toxicity at dose levels tested for Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Testing was performed using the HPV 11 strain, which along with HPV type 6, is responsible for ninety percent of genital or anal warts.

According to the scientist performing the test, the results were among the top one to two percent seen by the researcher for testing of HPV type 11. The report states the following: "Excellent antiviral activity and no cellular toxicity at doses tested."

Within the last several months, we have reported significant results for our compounds against Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, SARS, CMV, and now HPV. We are on the cusp of building an impressive antiviral portfolio that will be targeting viruses where there is currently an unmet need.  Besides the fact that our drugs have shown significant antiviral activity against the viruses mentioned above, equally impressive is the fact that very low concentrations of our drugs were needed in order to show this significant antiviral activity.

It is important to realize that Onconase®, our lead compound, has been in clinical studies for other oncology indications and has proven itself to be well tolerated in over 1,000 patients treated to date.  We cannot stress enough how significant our drug safety profile is as we look into entering into human clinical trials for those viruses where we have reported significant antiviral activity without the toxicity levels inherent with other viral therapies.

"This latest HPV result confirms and validates the broad range of antiviral activity our compounds have demonstrated in both RNA and DNA viruses. It is quite unusual to find a group of compounds targeting a broad range of viruses from different viral families. These are very exciting times for our shareholders, primary care physicians, and for those patients suffering from these diseases who, for so long, have been waiting for drugs that are safe and effective," stated Tamir Chief Executive Officer Charles Muniz.