Message #6 From:
NewsBot Date: September 8, 2006 06:00:00 AM
CYDY News CytoDyn Forming Product Development Team for Rapid Development of DNA Based Influenza Pre-Vaccines
SANTA FE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2006--CytoDyn, Inc. (OTCBB:CYDY) is forming a separate Product Development Team to expedite development of its licensed DNA Influenza Pre-Vaccines by its wholly owned subsidiary Advanced Influenza Technologies, Inc. Company scientists anticipate a potentially virulent seasonal flu as early as the winter of 2007 due to currently emerging mutations of Influenza A (the most common form of flu). Shan Lu, M.D., Ph.D., who invented the pre-vaccines, is expected to be a key member of the team.
CytoDyn hopes to offer public health officials a polyvalent pre-vaccine that will protect people against strains of influenza before they have become prevalent in the human population. What makes this possible is that DNA-based pre-vaccines can be manufactured without using the virus itself. Another potential advantage of not needing to isolate a circulating virus is the ability to stockpile product to prevent the shortages that occur with the just-in-time vaccines that have been traditionally used for flu shots.
Rapid deployment of a DNA pre-vaccine depends upon safety concerns on the part of the FDA's Center for Biological Evaluation and Research (CBER). Although these concerns cannot be anticipated, the Company's previous experience with CBER has been positive.
About the Seasonal Flu
The flu that afflicts the human population every winter is more than just a "bad cold." According to the CDC, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu every year and about 36,000 die of the infection. Older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions are at high risk for serious flu complications. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently urged people during a recent news conference to shift their focus to the very real threat posed by the regular seasonal flu (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55037).
About CytoDyn
CytoDyn, Inc. was organized to shorten the long delay, typically 30 years, between scientific discovery and commercialization. Headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, CytoDyn, Inc. is a Colorado corporation. Its shares trade on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol CYDY. For more information, please visit our web site at www.cytodyn.com.
Disclaimer
Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. The Company's management makes forward looking statements concerning the Company's expected future operations, performance and other developments. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such risks and uncertainties, or other factors, will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. It is impossible to identify all factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company. They include, but are not limited to, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, victimization by white-collar offenders, and the effects of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, and other factors that may be identified from time to time in the Company's announcements.
