News release.. I won't stop taking my krill...I was wondering why there is people in my family that have cholesterol and I don't... I will keep taking my daily krill pill... and will show this news to my family that is using Lovaza....
JayB1... time will tell....
Neptune Technologies &Bioressources Inc. Reports Completion of Acasti Pharma ComparativeBenchmarking Program Versus Lovaza(R)
CaPre(TM) Exhibits a Better Regulating Lipid Profile
LAVAL, Quebec, Nov 25, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) --
NeptuneTechnologies & Bioressources Inc. ("Neptune") (Nasdaq:NEPT)(TSX-V:NTB) subsidiary, Acasti Pharma Inc. ("Acasti"), reports thecompletion of its preclinical program designed to compare the lipidmanagement effects of Acasti's drug candidate CaPre(TM) versusprescription drug Lovaza(R). Blood lipids were monitored in two animalmodels in order to assess and compare the efficacy of CaPre(TM) andLovaza(R) over a 12-week treatment period.
-- A low daily human equivalent dose of 1g CaPre(TM) reduced LDL-C (bad
cholesterol) levels by 40% and increased HDL-C (good cholesterol) by
180% in a normal rat model ("SD") while 4gr of Lovaza(R) did not show
any significant effect.
-- An even lower daily human equivalent dose of 0.5g CaPre(TM) was shown to
be as efficient as 4g of Lovaza(R) in reducing triglycerides levels by
40-50% in obese rats with severe diabetes and high triglycerides ("ZDF")
"Theseresults suggest that a low (0.5g to 1g) daily dosing of CaPre(TM) ismore effective than 4g Lovaza(R) in elevating HDL-C and lowering LDL-Cand triglycerides. These effects become even more striking consideringthat a 1g daily dose of CaPre(TM) contains 8.9 times less EPA and 11.1times less DHA than the recommended 4g daily dose of Lovaza(R). It isalso important to note that the triglycerides reduction was observedonly after 4 weeks and was maintained throughout the study suggesting asignificant metabolic impact of CaPre(TM)," said Dr. Bruno Battistini,Senior Director, Pharmaceutical R&D of Acasti.
"Takentogether, the present and previously disclosed data suggest thatCaPre(TM) may be an effective alternative for the management ofcardiometabolic disorders due to its therapeutic versatility andmultiple applications including also a superiority over Lovaza(R) onOmegas-3 Index and impaired glucose tolerance. This difference inactivity is likely to be explained by the fact that phospholipidsfunctionalize the omega-3 (EPA and DHA) contained in CaPre(TM) versusomega-3-acid ethyl ester in Lovaza(R)," said Pierre Lemieux, Ph.D., COOof Acasti. "According to market research firm IMS Health, global salesof Lovaza(R) topped $1 billion in 2009, with $758 million of those salesoriginating in the U.S. Moreover, in 2007, GlaxoSmithKline PLC(LSE/NYSE:GSK) acquired the USA rights to Lovaza(R) by its acquisitionof Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $1.65 billion, which is an indicatorof the potential value of CaPre(TM)," he added.
"To be able tobenchmark against a formulation such as Lovaza(R), being the only FDAapproved "prescription omega-3 fish oil" solely indicated for thetreatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia (very high triglycerides>500mg/dl) along with a healthy diet that has now reached over 1B$ insales, is encouraging. We believe that CaPre(TM) is in a much betterposition to improve the compliance of patients and help the treatingphysician. This latest benchmarking program gives us a great deal ofconfidence regarding the upcoming phase II clinical trial for which werecently submitted a Clinical Trial Application in Canada," said Dr.Tina Sampalis, President of Acasti.
About the animal models
Adultmale ZDF and SD rats were treated once-a-day with either CaPre(TM),Lovaza(R) or placebo. Blood lipids (TGs, LDL-C, HDL-C) were measuredusing standard clinical chemistry by an independent laboratory. TheZucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rat on a high-fat diet is a well-acceptedmodel of cardiometabolic disorder routinely used to specificallyevaluate the efficacy of active pharmaceutical ingredients on hightriglycerides (TGs) and diabetes. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed a normaldiet were used to compare the effect of both omega-3 distinctformulations over bad (LDL) and good (HDL) cholesterol.
About Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.
Neptuneis an industry-recognized leader in the innovation, production andformulation of science-based and clinically proven novel phospholipidproducts for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets. The Companyfocuses on growing consumer health markets including cardiovascular,inflammatory and neurological diseases driven by consumers taking a moreproactive approach to managing health and preventing disease. TheCompany sponsors clinical trials aimed to demonstrate its product healthbenefits and to obtain regulatory approval for label health claims.Neptune is continuously expanding its intellectual property portfolio aswell as clinical studies and regulatory approvals. Neptune's productsare marketed and distributed in over 20 countries worldwide. Neptune isthe mother company of Acasti and NeuroBioPharm.
About Acasti Pharma Inc.
AcastiPharma is developing a product portfolio of proprietary novellong-chain omega-3 phospholipids. Phospholipids are the major componentof cell membranes and are essential for all vital cell processes. Theyare one of the principal constituents of High Density Lipoprotein (goodcholesterol) and, as such, play an important role in modulatingcholesterol efflux. Acasti Pharma's proprietary novel phospholipidscarry and functionalize the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids EPA andDHA, which have been shown to have substantial health benefits and whichare stabilized by potent antioxidants. Acasti Pharma is focusinginitially on treatments for chronic cardiovascular conditions within theover-the-counter, medical food and prescription drug markets.
About NeuroBioPharm Inc.
NeuroBioPharmis pursuing pharmaceutical neurological applications, and a clinicalstudy for a medical food product with a multinational partner is alreadyinitiated. The development of a prescription drug candidate iscurrently in progress. Advanced clinical development andcommercialization is planned to be carried out with multinationalpartners.
"Neither Nasdaq nor the TSX Venture Exchange nor itsRegulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies ofthe TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy oraccuracy of this release."
Statements in this press release thatare not statements of historical or current fact constitute"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws.Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,uncertainties, and other unknown factors that could cause the actualresults of the Company to be materially different from historicalresults or from any future results expressed or implied by suchforward-looking statements. In addition to statements which explicitlydescribe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to considerstatements labeled with the terms "believes," "belief," "expects,""intends," "anticipates," "will," or "plans" to be uncertain andforward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein arealso subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that aredescribed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securitiescommissions.
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SOURCE: Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.