Nymox Targets E. Coli Food Contamination with Innovative New Products
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ (September 27, 2006) Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation
(NASDAQ:NYMX) is developing innovative new products to combat the serious threat E.
coli O157:H7 contamination poses to the food supply system and to public health.
Studies have shown that the Company's late-stage proprietary product, NXC-4720, is
capable of reducing the level of E. coli O157 contamination by over 99%.
Nymox has patent rights covering novel treatments for E. coli contamination
and infection as well as other anti-bacterial treatments, including three issued U.S.
patents, other international versions of these patents, as well as numerous pending patent
applications both in the U.S. and abroad.
The recent outbreak of serious illness across the U.S. from eating contaminated bagged
fresh spinach has highlighted the vulnerability of the U.S. food supply chain and food
industry to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. As of September 26, 183 persons from
26 states had been reported infected with E. coli O157:H7, with over half
requiring hospitalization. One fatality has been reported and two others are suspected to
be linked to the outbreak.
Despite efforts to improve the safety of the food supply system, outbreaks of
potentially deadly E. coli O157 food contamination remain common, both in the
U.S. and around the world, including England, Ireland, France, and Canada. The Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) estimates that E. coli O157 infections cause 73,000
illnesses annually in the U.S. alone, resulting in more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 60
deaths. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that the annual
cost of illness due to E. coli O157 was $404 million, including $370 million for
premature deaths: Frenzen PD et al, Journal of Food Protection 2005; 68:2623-2630.
More information about Nymox is available at www.nymox.com, email: info@nymox.com, or 800-936-9669.
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements”ť as
defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve
a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will
prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from
management's current expectations. The conduct of clinical trials and the development of
drug products involve substantial risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ
materially from expectations. Promising early results do not ensure that later stage or
larger scale clinical trials will be successful or will proceed as expected. Such factors
are detailed from time to time in Nymox's filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.