MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OPKO Health, Inc. (NYSE Amex:OPK) today announced the publication of a biomarker study yielding its diagnostic blood test candidate for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in the Jan. 7th issue of the journal, Cell, reports on a powerful and general method for the identification in small blood samples of disease-specific antibodies that can serve as diagnostic biomarkers, as well as the discovery of two antibodies unique to patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Prof. Thomas Kodadek, the senior author of the paper, stated, “The biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease reported in this publication should be useful in diagnosing the disease and for guiding the enrollment of early stage patients into clinical trials of new drug candidates. We believe that application of the technology will also permit the discovery of antibody biomarkers for early stage cancers and other diseases, which could allow for earlier therapy and, potentially, dramatically improved outcomes,” he continued.
OPKO jointly owns patent applications covering the technology and holds an exclusive license to the technology and is developing test kits based on these markers. Dr. Reddy Moola, the lead author on the paper, and a member of the OPKO R&D team, is leading OPKO’s efforts to develop tests for pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other important diseases. “We believe this technology has the potential to transform many areas of medicine and to be of significant commercial importance for OPKO,” said Dr. Phillip Frost, Chairman and CEO of OPKO.
About OPKO Health, Inc.
Miami-based OPKO is a specialty healthcare company involved in the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceutical and diagnostic products and vaccines. Initially focused on the treatment and management of ophthalmic diseases, OPKO has since expanded into other areas of major unmet medical need.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "could," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning, including statements regarding our product development efforts, including our ability to develop and commercialize a diagnostic blood test for Alzheimer's disease, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other important diseases, our ability to develop tests to identify biomarkers for early stage cancers and other disease, the utility of the biomarkers in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other diseases and in guiding enrollment and early stage patients in clinical trials, our ability to perform and complete clinical studies required for regulatory approval, and the potential of the technology to allow for earlier therapy, dramatically improved outcomes, and to transform areas of medicine or be of significant commercial importance to OPKO, as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects. Many factors, including those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include, that initial testing may not be indicative of future success and we will be unable to successfully develop or commercialize a diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease pancreatic and lung cancers, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative and infectious disease, that the diagnostic test may fail and not be successful in identifying biomarkers or antibodies unique to Alzheimer's Disease or other diseases or achieve the expected results or effectiveness, and may not generate data that would support the approval or marketing of this or other diagnostic products, that others may develop products, including other early stage diagnostic products which are superior to the tests we are developing, and that the diagnostic tests if developed may not have advantages over other marketed products. In addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by risks inherent in funding, developing and obtaining regulatory approvals of new, commercially-viable and competitive products and treatments, general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.
CONTACT:
OPKO Health, Inc.
Steven D. Rubin, 305 575-6015
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