NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 29, 2014) - Plandaí Biotechnology (OTCQB: PLPL) has already begun cultivating and cloning the epimedium plants it recently acquired as part of its preliminary plans to develop and test what it anticipates will be an all-natural substitute for the widely popular erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra®, Cialis® and Levitra®.
But why epimedium? Well, the company is working with a strain of the plant that has high levels of icariin, epimedium's primary active constituent which studies have shown may treat ED. Now, figure in the company's unique and proprietary extraction process, and Plandaí is confident it can develop a genetically pure, high icariin content Phytofare™ extract for ED.
Epimedium, also known as horny goat weed among other names, gained notoriety as an option for ED, which affects many millions of men worldwide, after it was used in a patent infringement case to rescind parts of the US Viagra patent (Patent 6,469,012) based on historic use in Chinese medicine.
Pfizer, Inc., the maker of Viagra, claims that its drug was the first medical example of a PDE5 inhibitor which treated ED, and therefore claimed patent protection from all similar PDE5 inhibitors. Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, is the PDE5 inhibitor Pfizer claimed was the first example of the inhibitor to treat ED, but Patent examiners used epimedium and its PDE5 inhibitor, icariin, as an example of prior use and rescinded those portions of the patent.
For those interested in the science, PDE5 inhibitors block an enzyme that affects the smooth muscles in certain tissues, such as those responsible for causing erections. Blocking the enzyme increases the blood flow to those tissues.
Like its Phytofare™ Catechin Complex, a green tea extract, Plandaí expects that its process will enhance epimedium's absorption and retention in the bloodstream offering those suffering from ED with an all-natural, and potentially safer substitute for the drugs sold by big pharma.
The company's expectation, assuming the ED product would be effective and safe after conducting research, development and testing, would be to market and sell the extract as an active ingredient to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturers. Plandaí announced that it expects to commence testing on the possible ED product by mid-2015 after enough genetically pure mature plants for testing are available.
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SMMG is a Research and Content Development IR firm offering a platform for corporate stories to unfold in the media with Reports, Interview and Feature Articles. SMMG is compensated $3,500 per month by Plandai Biotechnology for content development. Previously, SMMG was compensated for similar content by a third party which occurred from April 2013 through June 2014. During that period, SMMG received approximately $55,000 for its content. Neither SMMG nor anyone associated with it owns shares in PLPL. For more information: www.stockmarketmediagroup.com.