Interesting Shareholder Letter... IFN, hmmm ?

[apache1]

As some of you may know, I have been expanding my investments to include newly gained knowledge from experiences with HCV. One of the many related companies I invested in sent me a letter some might find interesting.
My PI's have more potential, but... it was dirt cheap, and had promise like many of my stocks that have taken the ride from the bottom up. Got in at .11 and it closed at .16 last I looked. I will hold it till it goes out or up.
Check this letter out. Ya Never know...


Dear Shareholder,

    In 1957 two scientists in England noted a substance in chicken embryos
that was "interfering" with the growth of influenza virus. The scientists
isolated the protein and called it "interferon." In other words, it has
been known for 52 years that interferon blocks influenza virus. We have
prepared a more technical summary of a portion of the data that shows that
interferon prevents or effectively treats influenza in ferrets, mice,
guinea pigs and humans:
(http://amarbio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=44).
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no2/03-0482.htm)

    There is additional animal data presently being generated by a colleague
in Germany, and Dr. Manfred Beilharz (the principal investigator of our
ongoing interferon flu study in Australia) and I both believe that the
existing animal and human data should motivate national and international
health authorities to consider low dose oral interferon for the prevention
and treatment of influenza.

     Because of the current influenza outbreak, it is important that health
officials recognize that oral interferon represents an inexpensive,
non-toxic, easy-to-administer oral therapy for flu. Our interferon
lozenges are stable at room temperature for up to 2 years so the therapy
lends itself to the healthcare needs of the developing world where
refrigeration may not be readily available.

    The government approved anti-viral drugs are not a long term solution
because the influenza virus has the capability of rapidly developing
resistance to the drugs according to JAMA, Vol. 301, No. 10, Pages
1034-1041, May 2009. Because interferon acts indirectly by boosting the
immune system, influenza viruses have not developed resistance to
interferon, but instead have developed strategies to shut host cell
production of interferon. Therefore, treating with extra interferon to
overcome the viral strategy makes scientific sense.

     Interferon is a protein produced naturally in mammals, fish, birds,
reptiles and amphibians. Interferon helps regulate the immune system of
all animals. Interferon is not a miracle drug but instead interferon can
boost the body's natural immune system. Properly used, interferon can
help the immune system to perform more efficiently.

    The clinical data from our flu study in Australia will be available this
fall. Based on our previous work with cattle, there is every reason to
believe that oral interferon lozenges will be successful at preventing and
lessening the severity of influenza infection in the study's volunteers.
We need to make plans now for a follow-up flu study in the U.S., rather
than waiting for the final data from Australia.

    We are working diligently to launch an interferon flu study in the U.S.
The brewing swine flu outbreak is motivating health officials to examine
every possible weapon against an international flu pandemic; we are
hopeful that this will include a thorough study of oral interferon which
will prove that it is a safe and effective treatment.


Yours sincerely,
Dr. Joseph Cummins,
President and CEO Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.

[newleaf09]

I understand that the interferon, which we make anyway, pushes the immune system into overdrive and causes killer T-cells to be produced in great number to kill the virus.  The body's response to the invading influenza is the same: ramping up and producing killer T-cells.  The ramping up response creates the fever and aches, etc. when you get the flu.

[epiphiny]

Interesting question as to why we would treat the flu with something that undoubtedly causes flu-LIKE symptoms!  Like but NOT the flu.

It is my understanding of interferon's mechanism is that it rushes to inhabit all the cells in our bodies BEFORE the virus can because a cell can only be invaded by one foreign body at a time SO, if we amp up the immune system we stop the virus invading and thus killing it QUICKER and thereby minimising the human discomfort and misery that the flu can cause.

Therefore treating the 'real' flu with IFN there will minimise the amount of time people have to suffer with the effects, lessen the time they have off work (which affects Gross National Product) result in less deaths that are flu related AND secondary or even tertiary infections that also keep people from the workplace and are life threatening and require the use of much more expensive antibiotics thus putting further strain on already close to busting health system, worldwide.

And then maybe we could find some cures for some of the really horriffic diseases out there.

Just my thoughts on the topic!

Epi.

Btw, this is just my opinion, other than the mechanics of how IFN works I've thought about it alot

[newleaf09]

The first big money my husband and I ever made on a stock was on Schering Plough.  When they released interferon it was touted as a cure for the common cold.  Caused the stock to soar and we sold high.  I would like to buy Schering again for the Boceprevir release but the prices have not been down in a range I could afford since last October.

[FlGuy]

I had a conversation with my Primary doc a few years ago, before I started 1st tx for hcv. He was the guy who ran the preliminary and secondary labs that confirmed hcv. I refer to hims as Dr. Referral because his role in my medical care is mainly as a traffic cop - he sends me to specialists and he does it very well.  Since he got his medical degree at the the University of Swaying Palms somewhere in the caribbean his best medical days follow nights that he stays in a Holdiay Inn Express.  His nurses don't allow him to be around sharp objects and his stethescope is bright red and plastic.
We talked about interferon and it's affect on the body. He said that when you get the flu and it's associated aches, pains, fever and the 'heady' feeling that it's really the interferon being called to action and coursing through your body.  So, when you get the flu it's the intereferon that makes you feel so cruddy.

Going forward to a couple of combination treatments.  Going into each of them, I felt pretty good. But, when I started the intereferon I got those flu-like symptoms very predictably for the first 24 and the second 46 week treatments. So, I decided that Dr. Referral was right, it was the meds (and a lot the Interferon) that gave me the flu-like symptoms.  Riba creates it's own issues but Interferon cormers the market on the side effects that are closer to the surface. Riba specializes in the deep down crud.

The point of all this, and something I wondered for a while is that when it comes to the flu - how bad is the flu and what does it really do?  If the flu-like symptoms come from the natually produced Interfereon in your body than what really does the flu do? Further, I guess that in treating flu-like symptoms with something that produces flu-like symptons what have you really gained?

Somewhere along the line (don't know where and can't cite it) I read that the reason why interferon is given as a sub-q injection is that the digestive system would gegrade it's effect if it was taken orally.  But, I don't know that beacuse I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night.