SILVER SPRING, MD, December 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB: NVLX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company providing cell therapy solutions for the treatment of diseases, announced today that PharmaCyte Biotech executives joined Thailand government officials at the grand opening of Austrianova’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) live-cell encapsulation facility within the Thai Science Park (TSP) in Bangkok, Thailand. The TSP is the premier Science, Technology and Innovation hub of Thailand and home to many leading international hi-tech and bio-tech companies.
PharmaCyte Biotech contracted with its partner Austrianova to establish the manufacturing facility that will produce the Cell-in-a-Box® live-cell encapsulation product containing cancer prodrug-activating cells that will be used for the Phase 2b clinical trial of PharmaCyte Biotech’s pancreatic cancer treatment in Australia and for clinical trials in the United States related to the intractable pain associated with pancreatic cancer and the accumulation of malignant ascites fluid that results from late-stage pancreatic cancer and other abdominal cancers. This facility will also be used to encapsulate insulin-producing cells that will be pivotal for clinical trials of PharmaCyte Biotech’s treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes.
PharmaCyte Biotech CEO and President, Kenneth L. Waggoner, stated, “PharmaCyte Biotech is pleased that the new cGMP facility that will perform live cell encapsulation using the Cell-in-a-Box® encapsulation technology is officially open in Thailand. This is a vitally important event on the path to the new and later stage clinical trials for PharmaCyte Biotech. We are pleased to have been invited as guest of honor at the grand opening ceremony and to have met with so many scientists and professors involved with the Cell-in-a-Box® technology.”
Dr. Brian Salmons, CEO and President of Austrianova, commented, “We are proud to have opened our unique cGMP facility which utilizes the first state-of-the-art, custom-built, controlled gaseous environment isolator based cell production system in Asia. This isolator system, housed in a newly built conventional Class D cleanroom, will ensure that all Cell-in-a-Box® products are manufactured to the highest international pharmaceutical production standards.”
Prof. Walter H. Günzburg, Chief Scientific Officer of PharmaCyte Biotech and Chairman of Austrianova, said, “Together with Thailand Center of Excellence in Life Sciences, we have worked for over a year to develop this world-first encapsulated cell production capability. Finally, through the close collaborative efforts of this Thai Government Agency with Austrianova and the Thailand Science Park, we have been able to achieve, in a remarkably short period, the realization of this unique facility.”
To view pictures of the event and the new facility in the Thai Science Park, visit:
http://www.nuvilex.com/tsp-opening-event
About PharmaCyte Biotech
PharmaCyte Biotech (OTCQB: NVLX) is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing and preparing to commercialize treatments for cancer and diabetes based upon a proprietary cellulose-based live cell encapsulation technology known as Cell-in-a-Box®. This unique and patented technology will be used as a platform upon which treatments for several types of cancer, including advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer, and diabetes are being built. PharmaCyte Biotech’s treatment for pancreatic cancer involves the well-known anticancer prodrug ifosfamide, together with encapsulated live cells, which convert ifosfamide into its active or “cancer-killing” form. PharmaCyte Biotech is also working towards improving the quality of life for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and on treatments for other types of solid cancerous tumors. In addition, PharmaCyte Biotech is developing treatments for cancers based upon cannabinoid-like drugs by examining ways to exploit the benefits of the Cell-in-a-Box® technology in optimizing the anticancer effectiveness of such drugs while minimizing or outright eliminating the debilitating side effects usually associated with cancer treatments. This provides PharmaCyte Biotech a unique opportunity to develop “green” approaches to fighting cancers, such as those of the pancreas, brain and breast, which affect hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide every year.
Safe Harbor
This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding PharmaCyte Biotech and its future events and results that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan” and similar expressions, as they relate to PharmaCyte Biotech or its management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Important factors, many of which are beyond the control of PharmaCyte Biotech, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements include PharmaCyte Biotech’s ability to continue as a going concern, delays or unsuccessful results in clinical trials or flaws or defects regarding its product candidates, changes in relevant legislation or regulatory requirements, uncertainty of protection of PharmaCyte Biotech’s intellectual property and PharmaCyte Biotech’s continued ability to raise capital. PharmaCyte Biotech does not assume any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
More information about PharmaCyte Biotech can be obtained by contacting Investor Relations.
Investor Relations Contacts:
Clare Matschullat
Blueprint Life Science Group
Telephone: 917.595.2856 Ext. 106
[email protected]
