www.stirlingproducts.net
Stirling Products (ASX:STI) is a manufacturer and marketer of proprietary and/or patented pharmaceutical products and natural health products for its own interests as well as on a contractual basis for third parties. Strategically, Stirling Products is positioned to capitalise on the rapidly changing conditions within the global pharmaceutical and health markets.
The Stirling Products corporate headquarters are in Sydney, Australia and its North American pharmaceutical manufacturing operations are based on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Stirling operates through three main business units each managed by proven industry specialist managers:
- Pharmaceutical & Healthcare
- Research & Development
- Animal Products
Stirling Products agrees to collaborate on fast track development of ImmunoXel TB treatment
Stirling Products (ASX: STI) and its joint venture partner, Zodiac Capital Limited, have entered into a conditional agreement with Canadian based Immune Network Limited to accelerate the improved formulation of ImmunoXel.
The new sublingual ImmunoXel tablet formulation has already demonstrated improved effectiveness and potential for accelerated cure rate for TB patients.
Importantly, the Stirling exclusively licensed ImmunoXel product, together with an improved formulation of ImmunoXel developed through recent work by Immune Network, decreases cost of production.
Also, Stirling said improved stability and ease of use is likely to improve the accessibility and availability of the product.
ImmunoXel (Dzherelo) is a multi-herbal extract that has been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials to be extraordinarily effective where provided as an adjunct in all forms of TB treatment, including the drug resistant forms MDR-TB and XDR-TB, as well as for patients with HIV/TB co-infection.
Under the terms of the agreement, Stirling and Immune Network will continue with their respective research and development work.
Following a meeting at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Washington, USA, Stirling will continue with its plans for a cooperative research agreement with the NIH.
The agreement aims to further establish the effect of ImmunoXel on HIV-related endpoints and Immune Network will produce batches of the new ImmunoXel tablet formulation and continue clinical demonstration trials of the new product.
Stirling said the agreement is "conditional upon Immune Network becoming current in its statutory filings, following which Immune Network will issue to Stirling 20 million shares for the non exclusive marketing rights to ImmunoXel and providing Stirling with direct exposure to potential profitability from Immune Network's other TB immunotherapy, V-5 Immunitor."
Stirling will also subscribe to 5 million Immune shares at US$0.02 per share through the issue of 12.5 million Stirling shares and 333,333 Zodiac shares.
Positive clinical data for ImmunoXel/Dzherelo lozenges has shown that about 90% of all patients supplementing their standard Anti Retroviral TB Treatment with the new ImmunoXel sublingual tablets are cured (sputum clearance of TB) within one month of treatment.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that globally, about one-third of the world's population is infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria that cause TB, and each year about 9 million people become ill with the disease and 2 million will die from it.
TB patients with HIV are 30 times more likely to die and treatment options for them are limited.
Interestingly, the 2009 WHO annual report on TB indicated that one in four TB deaths is HIV related, which is twice as many as had been recognized previously.
Stirling said the introduction of immunomodulating interventions such as ImmunoXel, have the potential to reverse the crisis situation in current TB management.
