Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp V.KLDC

competitor starts Phase 1

[logical1234]

GMP Companies, Inc. Announces Start of Clinical Trials For Novel Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - GMP Companies, Inc. (privately- held), a global healthcare company that seeks to develop and commercialize novel medical technologies, announced today the initiation of the first clinical trial of INGAP Peptide for the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus. INGAP Peptide derives from discoveries made by Aaron I. Vinik, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Anatomy & Neurobiology, and Director of Research at the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, and Lawrence Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Surgery and Medicine, and Director of the Division of Surgical Research at McGill University and the McGill University Health Center in Montreal, Canada. Drs. Vinik and Rosenberg found that administration of INGAP Peptide to certain species of diabetic animals increases insulin levels and lowers blood glucose levels. "INGAP Peptide represents a potentially novel anti-diabetic therapy directed at the basis of the disease," said Dr. Vinik. "It stimulates the growth of insulin-producing cells in neoislets in the pancreas, rather than treating the metabolic consequences of diabetes such as high blood sugar." Dr. Rosenberg added, "Inducing the patient's own pancreas to regrow new insulin-producing cells may well prevent the metabolic consequences in the first place, or at least stabilize those that have already occurred." They identified a naturally occurring protein product INGAP that is associated with the generation of islets of Langerhans during normal development of the pancreas. Islets of Langerhans are areas within the pancreas that produce hormones, including insulin and glucagon, which are largely responsible for keeping the blood glucose concentration within the normal range. In diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin to meet the body's requirement. Diabetes is a common disease that affects more than 16 million people in the United States and 130 million people worldwide. Drs. Vinik and Rosenberg named their discovery islet neogenesis gene associated protein (INGAP). They later identified the smaller, active portion of this protein, which was isolated and termed INGAP Peptide. The Phase 1 / 2a clinical study will assess the safety and tolerability of single and multiple doses of INGAP Peptide in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The trial is being conducted by three leading diabetes specialists at three study sites in the United States: Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D., Texas Diabetes Institute/The University of Texas in San Antonio; John B. Buse, M.D., Ph.D., Diabetes Care Center / The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; and, Robert E. Ratner, M.D., MedStar Research Institute in Washington, D.C. "We believe that INGAP Peptide has the potential to be an important approach in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus," said Bart Chernow, M.D., President and CEO of GMP Companies, Inc. "As an endocrinologist who has seen many patients suffer from diabetes, I am hopeful that the treatment proves to be safe and efficacious so that we can help patients." According to Michael Salem, M.D., Executive Vice President of Research & Development for GMP Companies, Inc., "the start of these initial clinical trials is an important first step in evaluating a potentially exciting treatment for the many patients worldwide suffering with diabetes." He added, "Since INGAP Peptide may stimulate new islet formation with the corresponding production of insulin, many diabetic patients may possibly benefit from this treatment approach." BACKGROUND ON GMP COMPANIES, INC. --------------------------------- GMP Companies, Inc. is a global healthcare company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Company seeks to develop and commercialize novel medical technologies. These technologies are typically licensed from academic medical centers, individual inventors, research institutions and partner companies. GMP Companies, Inc. has established 14 business units and is organized in three divisions: Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Devices. These divisions have products in various stages of development and commercialization relating to the care of patients with medical conditions including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, glaucoma and genetic disorders. To learn more about the company or the diabetes clinical trials, visit GMP's Web site at www.gmpcompanies.com. The statements in this news release include statements which may constitute forward-looking statements. Although GMP Companies, Inc. believes the expectations contained in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove correct. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for and market acceptance of products, the ability to effectively manage multiple subsidiaries and diverse products, and the ability to manage growth. For further information: MEDIA: Gisele Galoustian, [phone]; INVESTORS: Brennen Arndt, [phone]