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Amarillo to sponsor trial of interferon for influenza, other diseases
New York, May 31 - Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. said it has agreed to sponsor a human clinical trial of naturally occurring respiratory tract diseases, including influenza.
Dr. Manfred Beilharz, the head of the department of microbiology and immunology, school of biomedical, biomolecular and chemical sciences at the University of Western Australia, will carry out the study.
The trial will test whether daily dosing with oral interferon can protect human volunteers from infection and reduce the severity of respiratory tract infections, compared to a placebo.
The research is expected to start in early 2007 and continue for six months. During that time 200 volunteers are expected to naturally encounter influenza viruses and other respiratory tract pathogens as they go about their daily lives.
Amarillo is currently sponsoring a series of influenza studies in mice with Beilharz's research team.
In the recently completed initial study, a daily oral dose of interferon protected mice against influenza whereas placebo-treated mice lost weight and temperature and became moribund before they were humanely killed.
"Successfully using oral interferon to protect mice against a fatal challenge of influenza virus does not necessarily mean we can protect humans," Beilharz said in a news release.
"However, human data from clinical trials in the former Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Japan and China reported that orally or intranasally administered interferon significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the severity and duration of naturally occurring influenza, compared to placebo."
Amarillo Biosciences is an Amarillo, Texas-based biotechnology company.
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