Found this article. By the way Pharming is connected to Numico....Valerie W.
McClain, IBCLC
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001114/nh_xtl_bio.html
XTL Biopharmaceuticals and Pharming Group to Co-Develop Lactoferrin to Treat
Hepatitis C
-Agreement between XTL and Pharming Designed to Evaluate and Potentially
Co-Develop Biopharmaceutical Protein for Use in Treating HCV-
LEIDEN, The Netherlands, REHOVOT, Israel and NEW IPSWICH, N.H.,
Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. ("XTL") (LSE: XTL) and
Pharming Group N.V. ("Pharming") (Easdaq: PHAR; AEX: PHAR) today announced the
signing of an agreement to jointly evaluate and potentially co-develop
recombinant human Lactoferrin (rhLF) as a treatment for hepatitis C virus
(HCV). Human Lactoferrin is a natural protein with antibiotic, probiotic,
anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties. Financial terms of the
deal were not disclosed.``This agreement with Pharming represents XTL's most
advanced stage partnership to date and will provide depth to our increasing
portfolio of potential therapeutics to treat HCV,'' stated Glenn Kazo,
General Manager and Business Officer of XTL Biopharmaceuticals Inc., based in
the United States. ``We are confident that this collaboration with Pharming,
combined with XTL's technology, will provide synergy to further develop our
product pipeline.''Pharming's President and CEO George J. M. Hersbach
commented that: ``The co-development agreement with XTL offers us the
opportunity to combine our technology with that of XTL's to evaluate and
pursue the use of Pharming's rhLF as a treatment for Hepatitis C, a serious
chronic disease that affects a rapidly increasing number of people
worldwide.''The development of Pharming's recombinant human Lactoferrin
(rhLF) as a potential treatment for infectious diseases is on track. Pharming
successfully completed a phase I clinical trial of intravenously administered
rhLF that demonstrated rhLF was well tolerated up to the highest dose of 60
mg/kg. This excellent safety profile, combined with promising data from
pre-clinical studies, suggest that rhLF is a realistic therapeutic candidate
for infectious diseases, including HCV.HCV is a major cause of chronic
hepatitis in the United States and is a leading cause for liver
transplantation. The World Health Organization estimates that 170 million
people are infected with HCV worldwide, approximately four million of whom
are in the United States. Eighty five percent of HCV infected persons will
develop chronic hepatitis, of which 10-20 percent will progress to liver
cirrhosis. The number of deaths attributable to hepatitis C is expected to
increase substantially in the next 10 to 20 years.Pharming focuses on the
development, production and commercialization of human therapeutic proteins
to be used in highly innovative therapies. Pharming has developed a
proprietary production platform of transgenic animals, capable of producing
human therapeutic proteins at high levels in their milk. Pharming's product
portfolio is aimed at treatments for genetic disorders, surgery and trauma,
infectious and inflammatory diseases, tissue and bone repair and
blood-related disorders. Pharming has operations in Belgium, Finland, the
Netherlands and the USA and currently employs more than 200 people.XTL is
developing therapeutics to treat hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other
infectious diseases using human monoclonal antibodies and synthetic chemical
products. XTL's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary Trimera
technology, which enables XTL to accelerate its internal product development
and to secure rights to drug candidates and other technology from third
parties. For more information about XTL, visit XTL's website at <A HREF="http://www.xtlbio.com/">www.xtlbio.com
</A>.For Pharming: The statements that are not historical facts contained in this
release are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
statements involve risks and uncertainties that may differ materially from
those set forth in these statements.
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