PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 4, 2013, 7:02 a.m. EST
LAVAL, QUEBEC, Nov 04, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. /quotes/zigman/20242/realtime CA:PLI 0.00% (otcqx:PFSCF), ("ProMetic" or the "Corporation") presented new preclinical data at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) held in Washington on November 2-4 supporting the claims that PBI-4050 anti-fibrotic activity could also be used to address various liver conditions such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis ("NASH"), a condition affecting 2% to 5% of Americans.
PBI-4050's favorable effect in reducing the progression of fibrosis in liver was demonstrated in two different "gold-standard" animal models. The first is a diabetic mouse model in which the animals develop liver steatosis. Similar to what is observed in humans, the untreated animals accumulate fat in the liver causing inflammation and leading to permanent damage and scarring, and reducing the ability for the liver to function properly. Diabetic mice treated with PBI-4050 had a significant reduction of liver lesions and steatosis measured by histology as well as a significant reduction in key biomarkers such as including TGFbeta-1, Collagen 1, MMP2 and TIMP-1.
In a second model, the liver fibrosis is induced by chronic administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4), a chemical which at high chronic dose, causes irreversible damage to the liver and the kidney. Again animals treated with PBI-4050 displayed a significant reduction of liver lesions as evidenced by histology and relevant biomarkers.
"These results clearly indicates that PBI-4050 anti-fibrotic activity is at the core of the fibrosis regulation pathway affecting multiple organs and tissues", stated Dr. Lyne Gagnon, Head of Biology & Immunology at ProMetic.
Dr. John Moran, a member of ProMetic's Board of Directors stated "Since patients with diabetes are more likely to develop complications affecting the kidneys and liver, the positive effects observed with PBI-4050 in multiple challenging animal models bodes well for its potential use in this patient population."
The presentation at the AASLD annual conference is available on the ProMetic website: http://www.prometic.com/en/therapeutics/conferences.php.
More on NASH
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH is a common, often "silent" liver disease. It resembles alcoholic liver disease, but occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. The major feature in NASH is fat in the liver, along with inflammation and damage. Most people with NASH feel well and are not aware that they have a liver problem. Nevertheless, NASH can be severe and can lead to cirrhosis, in which the liver is permanently damaged and scarred and no longer able to work properly. NASH affects 2 to 5 percent of Americans
About ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.
ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (www.prometic.com) is a long established biopharmaceutical company with globally recognized expertise in bioseparations, plasma-derived therapeutics and small-molecule drug development. ProMetic offers its state of the art technologies for large-scale purification of biologics, drug development, proteomics and the elimination of pathogens to a growing base of industry leaders and uses its own affinity technology that provides for highly efficient extraction and purification of therapeutic proteins from human plasma in order to develop best-in-class therapeutics and orphan drugs. ProMetic is also active in developing its own novel small-molecule therapeutic products targeting unmet medical needs in the field of fibrosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases/inflammation. Headquartered in Laval (Canada), ProMetic has R&D facilities in the UK, the U.S. and Canada, manufacturing facilities in the UK and business development activities in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about ProMetic's objectives, strategies and businesses and the Offering that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are "forward-looking" because they are based on our current expectations about the markets we operate in and on various estimates and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions turn out to be inaccurate. Such risks and assumptions include, but are not limited to, ProMetic's ability to develop, manufacture, and successfully commercialize value-added pharmaceutical products, the availability of funds and resources to pursue R&D projects, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the ability of ProMetic to take advantage of business opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes in economic conditions. You will find a more detailed assessment of the risks that could cause actual events or results to materially differ from our current expectations on page 26 of ProMetic's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2012, under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties related to ProMetic's business" and in the Final Prospectus under the heading "Risk Factors". As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events or for any other reason, unless required by applicable securities laws and regulations. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless indicated otherwise.
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