- Significant reduction of viral titer in human nasal epithelium model both in prevention and treatment of influenza infection (p<0.01)
- New data demonstrate protective effects in viral infections beyond SARS-CoV-2
HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / August 6, 2021 / Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:CYTO), a company dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs through RNA therapeutics, allergy and viral infection protection, and inner ear therapeutics, today announced positive outcomes from testing Bentrio™ for prophylactic or therapeutic use in influenza A virus infection. Bentrio™ (AM-301) is a drug-free nasal spray being developed by the Company's affiliate Altamira Medica for protection against airborne viruses and allergens.
Bentrio™ was tested for its capability to prevent or mitigate infection of the human nasal epithelium by influenza A virus of the H1N1 subtype. Well-known outbreaks of H1N1-type influenza A in humans include the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Both prophylactic and therapeutic treatment with Bentrio™ resulted in a statistically significant reduction in viral load compared against saline-treated controls (p<0.01; repeated-measures ANOVA). On Day 4, the viral load was 84% and 77%, respectively, lower than in controls.
"Following the exciting results in SARS-CoV-2, we are very pleased to see the protective effects of Bentrio confirmed also in influenza in a highly relevant in vitro model," commented Thomas Meyer, Altamira Therapeutic's founder, Chairman and CEO. "Thanks to its triple mode of action, which is based purely on physical effects, Bentrio can help protect against various types of virus. These new results in influenza add to the growing evidence for Bentrio's broad range of protection against airborne viruses and allergens." According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2010 influenza has resulted in 9-45 million illnesses, 140,000-810,000 hospitalizations and 12,000-61,000 deaths annually. Bentrio™ is currently being rolled out for commercialization in the first European markets.
For the experiment, reconstituted cells from donors were inoculated with the H1N1 subtype of influenza A virus either 10 minutes after the first application of Bentrio™ (to test the formulation's preventive effects) or 24 hours prior to the first application of Bentrio™ (to test the formulation's mitigative effects). Bentrio™ was applied daily for four days; the viral load (Tissue Culture Infectious Dose, TCID50) was determined on MDCK cell lines.
About Bentrio™
Bentrio™ (AM-301) is a drug-free nasal spray for personal protection against airborne viruses and allergens. Upon application into the nose, Bentrio™ forms a protective gel layer on the nasal mucosa. This thin film is designed to prevent the contact of viruses or allergens with cells; in addition, the composition serves to bind such particles and help with their discharge and to humidify the nasal mucosa. Together, this is designed to reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract viral infections and promote alleviation of allergic symptoms. In human nasal epithelium cells infected by SARS-CoV-2, Bentrio™ was shown to reduce the infectious viral load by more than 99% when used for prevention. Further, Bentrio™ was effective in slowing the growth of the viral titer when treatment started only 24 or 30 hours after infection. In allergy, a clinical investigation in a pollen challenge chamber demonstrated a significant reduction in the main symptoms of allergic rhinitis with the protective effect setting in rapidly and lasting for 4 hours.
About Altamira Therapeutics
Altamira Therapeutics is dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs. The Company is currently active in three areas: the development of RNA therapeutics for extrahepatic therapeutic targets (OligoPhore™ / SemaPhore™ platforms; preclinical), nasal sprays for protection against airborne viruses and allergens (Bentrio™; commercial) or the treatment of vertigo (AM-125; Phase 2), and the development of therapeutics for intratympanic treatment of tinnitus or hearing loss (Keyzilen® and Sonsuvi®, Phase 3). The Company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda with its main operations in Basel, Switzerland. The shares of Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "CYTO."
Forward-looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical facts and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or Altamira Therapeutics' strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may", "might", "will", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "projects", "potential", "outlook" or "continue", or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the approval and timing of commercialization of AM-301, Altamira Therapeutics' need for and ability to raise substantial additional funding to continue the development of its product candidates, the timing and conduct of clinical trials of Altamira Therapeutics' product candidates, the clinical utility of Altamira Therapeutics' product candidates, the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, Altamira Therapeutics' intellectual property position and Altamira Therapeutics' financial position, including the impact of any future acquisitions, dispositions, partnerships, license transactions or changes to Altamira Therapeutics' capital structure, including future securities offerings. These risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, those described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Altamira Therapeutics' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020, and in Altamira Therapeutics' other filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on the Securities Exchange Commission's website at: www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated. All forward-looking statements and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Altamira Therapeutics or to persons acting on behalf of Altamira Therapeutics are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Altamira Therapeutics does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law.
Investor contact:
investors@altamiratherapeutics.com
SOURCE: Altamira Therapeutics
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