GenoMed Urges President Bush to Avoid Costly Avian Flu Mistake

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 06 Nov 2005 - 5:00 PDT

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GenoMed, a Next Generation Disease Management company whose business is public health, announced that the course of action outlined today by President Bush to combat avian influenza is likely to be an expensive mistake, and that the company has a safe, low-cost alternative.

President Bush announced today that the US will spend $7.1 billion on a vaccine against the existing avian influenza virus, which is an H5N1 strain. But this virus cannot yet jump from person to person. The virus which will cause the avian flu pandemic must be able to jump from person to person. It will be a mutated version of the current H5N1 virus, whose composition cannot even be guessed at now. It is highly unlikely that antibodies against the current virus will protect at all against a mutant virus whose composition is as yet unknown.

Secondly, the antiviral drugs currently being stockpiled by the US and other governments, oseltamivir (Tamiflu, made by Roche) and zanimivir (Relenza, made by Glaxo-Smith-Kline), have mild activity in cell culture and mouse model systems, but have not yet been tested against avian influenza in humans.

Said Dr. David Moskowitz, GenoMed's Chairman and CEO, "We applaud President Bush for his concern, but his course of action is ill advised. Neither vaccines nor antiviral drugs work, and neither should be relied on ahead of our own anti-viral approach, which uses safe, already existing drugs present in every drug store on earth. Our approach, which is included in BioShield II, has already achieved over 80% treatment success in West Nile virus encephalitis and should be equally effective against avian influenza. All we need is the email address of a physician in Southeast Asia with a bird flu patient to test it."

About GenoMed

GenoMed's broad-spectrum anti-viral approach is specifically mentioned in BioShield II, (see Section 2151 of Senate bill S. 975). To enroll in GenoMed's free clinical trial, which uses already existing, safe medication present in every drug store and hospital, just go to http://www.genomed.com and click on the link for the avian influenza or regular influenza ("flu") trial.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward looking statements, including those statements pertaining to GenoMed, Inc.'s (the Company's) finances and treatments. The words or phrases "ought to," "should," "could," "may," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our research and development being subject to scientific, economic, regulatory, governmental, and technological factors. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we specifically disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

David W. Moskowitz MD
CEO, GenoMed
tel. 314.983.9933
dwmoskowitz@genomed.com
http://www.genomed.com

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