The Dilemma in Funding Zika and Other Pandemic Therapies

http://aethlonmedical.investorroom.com/2016-09-09-The-Dilemma-in-Funding-Zika-and-Other-Pandemic-Therapies


SAN DIEGO, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEMD), today released the following note authored by its Chairman and CEO, Jim Joyce.

After a seven-week vacation, the U.S. Congress and Senate returned to work on Tuesday and immediately restarted the fight to advance a Zika virus funding program. Beyond normal political posturing, government officials face the dilemma of whether to allocate resources to support the advancement of traditional drugs and vaccines or emerging broad-spectrum therapies. As it relates to viral pandemics, there is often an assumptive complacency that drug and vaccine cures are just a matter of spending sufficient capital resources. In reality, the effort to align a disease-specific drug or vaccine with an emerging pandemic threat is immensely challenging and not often successful. Especially in the case of a virulent pathogen that may prohibit human studies from being conducted to demonstrate treatment efficacy.

Emerging pandemics represent significant threats to mankind and Zika is just one of many active pathogen threats not addressed with a traditional drug and vaccine. Beyond pathogens known to be infectious to man, a proliferation of international travel, urban crowding and global warming are expected to accelerate the emergence of new pandemic threats in the future. Then, there is the issue of pathogens created and released by man as agents of bioterrorism.

Our government has an opportunity to inspire the biotechnology industry to fuel innovation through the development of broad-spectrum treatment countermeasures that can cross the boundaries of treating different strains, species and families of life-threatening viral pathogens. The facts underlying the challenge of aligning a disease-specific drug or vaccine with each pathogen threat reinforces the need for broad-spectrum therapeutic innovation.

Statistical Improbability

It is statistically improbable for traditional pathogen-specific drugs and vaccines to be developed, proven to be effective, manufactured and then delivered in a timeframe necessary to combat a life-threatening bioterror or pandemic threat. As pathogen outbreaks cannot be predicted, the current universe of therapeutic developers is extremely limited as there is no commercial incentive to develop such countermeasures from a business model perspective.

Conversely, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that hundreds and sometimes thousands of chemical drug compounds must be made and tested to find one that can achieve a desirable result without serious side effects. To further support this statement, the FDA website reports that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America estimates that only 5 in 5,000 compounds that enter preclinical testing make it to human testing, and only 1 of those 5 may be safe and effective enough to be approved. Beyond those statistics, expectations for traditional countermeasures should further be tempered as each pathogen threat may require multiple drug mechanisms to address the corresponding pathogen threat. In regards to Zika, there are likely no more than a handful of candidate drug compounds that have been proposed to treat the virus.

Too Many Threats

Of the more than 300 viruses known to be infectious to man, only a small fraction are addressed with a proven antiviral drug or vaccine countermeasure. It has been estimated that our government has spent more than $80 billion to defend against biological threats since 2001. Yet, just one of 13 viruses classified as "Category A" have been addressed with a treatment countermeasure. The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) considers "Category A" pathogens to be biological agents that pose the highest risk to national security and public health as they are easily disseminated, result in high mortality rates, and cause public panic and social disruption. Furthermore, the development of disease-specific drug and vaccine countermeasure against unknown viral threats is not possible until the pathogen has either emerged naturally or been released by man as an agent of bioterrorism.

Inability to Demonstrate Effectiveness

Perhaps the greatest challenge in advancing a disease-specific drug or vaccine is the inability to ethically or feasibly conduct controlled human studies that demonstrate treatment efficacy against a virulent threat. As a result, treatment efficacy is required to be demonstrated in animal models, which in many cases either don't exist or don't equate to treatment efficacy in humans. As a result, at-risk populations (those most likely to need protection) such as pregnant women (a primary treatment target for Zika), children, elderly adults and those with other underlying medical conditions are not recommended to receive therapeutic candidates that are not proven to be effective in humans studies.

A Shift Towards Broad-Spectrum Treatment Countermeasures

The challenge of aligning a drug and vaccine with each pathogen threat has already established an impetus for U.S. government health agencies to support innovative therapeutic mechanisms that can be deployed against a wide-range of pathogen threats. Such evidence is best reflected in the 2015 Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) Strategy and Implementation Plan (SIP), which describes the priorities that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will implement over the next five years to protect against bioterror and emergency pandemic threats. A primary objective of the PHEMCE SIP includes the advancement of platform technology medical countermeasures with broad-spectrum capabilities. We are working to establish the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, which is being advanced clinically in an FDA approved study, as a leading broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure.

The Hemopurifier® is an immunotherapeutic technology designed for the single-use elimination of infectious viruses from the circulatory system. The technology provides a post-exposure treatment strategy to mitigate illness, suffering, and death resulting from exposure to virulent viral pathogens that are often beyond the reach of drug and vaccine therapies. In addition to Zika virus, in vitro studies have validated the broad-spectrum capture of numerous viral threats. These include: Chikungunya, Dengue and West Nile virus, which is currently spreading in the U.S. and is responsible for numerous deaths. Vaccinia and Monkey pox, which serve as models for human Smallpox infection, have also been validated. Specific to pandemic influenza threats, we have validated the capture of H5N1 avian flu, H1N1 swine flu, and the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus, which killed as many as 50 million individuals. In regards to human studies, Hemopurifier therapy has been successfully administered to individuals infected with Ebola virus, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Additional studies are currently being conducted to validate the capture of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which has a fatality rate of approximately 40%, and Marburg Virus, which is classified as a "Category A" bioterror and pandemic threat with a fatality rate exceeding 50%.

Zika and other emerging pandemic viruses represent a significant threat to mankind. We believe that broad-spectrum treatment countermeasures that cross the boundaries of different strains, species and families of viruses, should be the basis for life-saving innovation that will be necessary to combat emerging pandemic threats around the globe. With Congress and the Senate now back at work, the political debate of how to protect against Zika and other pandemics can now continue.

About Aethlon Medical

Aethlon Medical (Nasdaq: AEMD) is a leading developer of immunotherapeutic technologies to combat infectious disease and cancer. To augment the body's natural immune defenses, the Aethlon Hemopurifier® eliminates life-threatening disease targets that are often shielded from the immune system and not well addressed by traditional drug therapies. The technology captures circulating viruses, bacterial toxins and cancer promoting exosomes through affinity attachment to a unique structure that cloaks these targets from immune detection. At present, the Hemopurifier® is being advanced under an FDA approved clinical study. Aethlon is also the majority owner of Exosome Sciences, Inc., a company focused on the discovery of exosomal biomarkers to diagnose and monitor life-threatening diseases. Aethlon is part of the Russell Microcap® Index. Additional information can be found online at www.AethlonMedical.com or you can connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+.

The Hemopurifier® in Cancer

Upwards of ninety percent of all cancer-related deaths are attributed to metastasis; the spread of cancer from a primary site of origin to other organs or areas of the body. The mechanism of how tumors metastasize to distant sites in the body has long been one of cancer's greatest mysteries. That mystery was recently solved when circulating particles known as tumor-derived exosomes were discovered to be the seeds that promote the spread and growth of cancer metastasis.

Aethlon initiated its tumor-derived exosome research at a time when the medical community believed exosomes were merely cellular debris with no biological function. Today, a therapeutic to address tumor-derived exosomes represents a significant unmet need in cancer care. Aethlon has demonstrated that the affinity mechanism of the Hemopurifier® can capture tumor-derived exosomes underlying several forms of cancer, including breast, ovarian and metastatic melanoma.

Beyond their role in metastasis, researchers have also published mounting evidence that tumor-derived exosomes contribute to tumorigenesis (the formation of cancer), cancer progression, angiogenesis (creation of blood vessels to fuel tumor growth), immune evasion, and resistance to radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs. Recent discoveries also reveal that exosomes may contribute to bacterial and viral pathogenesis, the progression of Alzheimer and Parkinson's diseases, the spread of prion proteins, and numerous inflammatory conditions.

The Hemopurifier® in Infectious Disease

Emerging pathogens pose a significant threat to mankind. Of the hundreds of viral pathogens known to be infectious to man, only a few are addressed with proven antiviral drug or vaccine therapies. Beyond the looming threat of bioterrorism, a proliferation of international travel, urban crowding and global warming is expected to accelerate the emergence of future pandemics. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established an initiative to support platform technology medical countermeasures with broad-spectrum capabilities. Based on preclinical studies and human treatment experiences, the Aethlon Hemopurifier® defines this initiative.

To date, Hemopurifier therapy has been administered to individuals infected with Ebola virus, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the case of Ebola, a remarkable response to a single administration of Hemopurifier therapy (comatose physician with multiple organ failure at the time), led to Time Magazine naming the Hemopurifier to be one of the "Top 25 Inventions" as well as one of the "Eleven Most Remarkable Advances in Healthcare."

Beyond human treatment experiences, pre-clinical Hemopurifier studies have validated the broad-spectrum capture of numerous viral threats. These include: Chikungunya, Dengue and West Nile virus, as well as Vaccinia and Monkey pox, which serve as models for human Smallpox infection. Specific to pandemic influenza threats, Aethlon has validated the capture of H5N1 avian flu, H1N1 swine flu, and the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus, which represents a model for the strain of influenza that killed an estimated 50 million victims in 1918 and 1919. In vitro studies of other viral threats are ongoing.

Aethlon has also demonstrated that the Hemopurifier captures the bacteria toxins lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). These studies were conducted under a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) related to the treatment of sepsis.

About Exosome Sciences

Exosome Sciences, Inc., in collaboration with majority shareholder Aethlon Medical (Nasdaq: AEMD), is focused on the discovery of exosomal biomarker candidates to diagnose and monitor life-threatening diseases. The proprietary Enzyme-Linked Lectin-Specific Assay (ELLSA™) serves as a platform to isolate exosomal biomarkers from a wide-range of bodily fluids. In preliminary studies, ELLSA™ demonstrated the ability to isolate exosomes from urine, which resulted in high-sensitivity detection of HIV-infection. Specific to neurological disorders, Exosome Sciences discovered TauSome™, an exosomal biomarker that may be the first non-invasive candidate to detect Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in living individuals. In a study of former National Football League (NFL) players, TauSome levels were found to be significantly higher as compared to athlete control subjects who participated in non-contact sports. TauSome levels also correlated with cognitive decline based standardized tests of memory and psychomotor speed. Visit www.exosomesciences.com for additional details.

This press release contains 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 that involve risks and uncertainties. Statements containing words such as "may," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "will," "projections," "estimate," or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may contribute to such differences include, without limitation, the Company's ability to maintain its listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or any other national securities exchange, that the Company or its subsidiary will not be able to commercialize its products, that the FDA will not approve the initiation or continuation of the Company's clinical programs or provide market clearance of the Company's products, including any products relating to the Zika virus, the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's ability to complete the development of its planned products, the Company's ability to manufacture its products either internally or through outside companies, the impact of government regulations, patent protection on the Company's proprietary technology, the ability of the Company to meet the milestones contemplated in its contract with DARPA, product liability exposure, uncertainty of market acceptance, competition, technological change, and other risk factors. The foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is illustrative, but is not exhaustive. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements can be found under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2016, and in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not intend, nor does it undertake any duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances.

Contacts:

Mike Smargiassi/Brad Edwards
Brainerd Communicators, Inc
212-986-6667
smarg@braincomm.com

SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc

http://www.wsj.com/articles/mosquitoes-are-deadly-so-why-not-kill-them-all-1472827158

"By BETSY MCKAY
Updated Sept. 2, 2016 1:37 p.m. ET
456 COMMENTS
The death toll from diseases carried by mosquitoes is so huge that scientists are working on a radical idea. Why not eradicate them?

Mosquitoes kill more humans than any other animal and were linked to roughly 500,000 deaths in 2015, mostly from malaria. For more than a century, humans have used bed nets, screens and insecticides as weapons, but mosquitoes keep coming back. They are now carrying viruses like Zika and dengue to new parts of the world.

Powerful new gene-editing technologies could allow scientists to program mosquito populations to gradually shrink and die off. Some efforts have gained enough momentum that the possibility of mosquito-species eradication seems tantalizingly real.

“I think it is our moral duty to eliminate this mosquito,” entomologist Zach Adelman says about Aedes aegypti, a species carried afar over centuries by ships from sub-Saharan Africa. It derived from a forest dweller and adapted to thrive among humans, to whom the mosquito spreads at least four viruses that cause major diseases.

Prof. Adelman, a virologist and associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M University, is working to program Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to develop as males.

Eventually, the mosquitoes would run out of mates, crashing the species’ population in places it invaded and “cleaning up a global mess,” he says. Female mosquitoes are the only ones that bite people and transmit viruses.




A technician separates genetically modified mosquito larvae used to fight the spread of disease. Other efforts include breeding bacteria-infected mosquitoes at a laboratory in Guangzhou, China. Mosquitoes are fed from a bag of blood.PHOTOS: PAULO FRIDMAN/BLOOMBERG NEWS; BOBBY YIP/REUTERS; ANDRE PENNER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Purposely engineering a species into extinction—or just diminishing it—is fraught with quandaries. Scientists must weigh the potential impact of removing a species on the environment and food chain. It will take years of more research, testing and regulatory scrutiny before most genetically altered mosquitoes can be released into the wild. And the strategy might not work.

Wiping a species off the face of the earth is “an unfortunate thing to have to do,” says Gregory Kaebnick, a research scholar at the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in Garrison, N.Y.

He says humans shouldn’t force a species into extinction to meet their own preferences. “We ought to try not to do it,” says Mr. Kaebnick. One justification, he says, would be to avert a serious public-health threat.

Related Video
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Mosquitoes have an ugly track record of spreading everything from the Zika virus to dengue fever to malaria. Could they be killed off? Here’s a short look at a controversial question.
Out of more than 3,600 mosquito species, only a few dozen transmit viruses and parasites that can sicken or kill humans. Even the killer mosquitoes pollinate plants and are food sources for other animals, though usually not the only staple, entomologists say.

For decades, agricultural officials have used a “sterile insect technique” to eliminate pests that are dangerous to crops or humans. Insects are sterilized with radiation and then released into the wild.

Insects that mate with the sterilized ones produce no offspring, and the populations die off within a few generations. The technique was used to rid the U.S. and a few other countries of the New World screwworm fly, and it is now being used to battle fruit flies.

Imperial College London researchers are refining a system under development for the past several years to drive a self-destructive genetic trait into the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, the major carrier of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The trait could eventually shrink the malaria carrier’s population. Malaria kills an estimated 438,000 people a year.

Aedes aegypti is high on the hit list of more scientists now that Zika has spread from Brazil to Miami, spawning an epidemic that has left hundreds of babies with devastating birth defects.

The same type of mosquito caused dengue to proliferate through tropical regions world-wide during the last quarter of the 20th century. The dengue virus infects an estimated 390 million people a year, killing thousands of them.

Aedes aegypti also is a carrier of chikungunya, a crippling disease that causes lasting joint pain, and yellow fever. In Africa, officials are struggling to contain a large outbreak of yellow fever, which can lead to fatal liver disease.

“Aedes aegypti is literally probably the most dangerous animal in the world,” says Omar Akbari, a molecular biologist and assistant professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. His conclusion is based on the number of infections to which the mosquito is linked.

Many entomologists say eradicating Aedes aegypti would have a minimal impact on the environment. Such mosquitoes thrive around humans, breeding in water that collects in tires, pipes and plastic containers. Humans are their only source of food.

Zika-carrying mosquitoes aren’t very appealing to other animals as a food source, entomologists say. “They’re so tiny a bat would have to eat thousands of them to equal a couple of moths,” says Michael Doyle, an entomologist and former executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, which battled a dengue outbreak several years ago.




Weapons used against the spreading Zika virus include sprays to kill adult mosquitoes in Duarte, Calif., street-cleaning machines in Miami Beach, Fla., and fumigating a Singapore residence.PHOTOS: PATRICK T. FALLON FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; CRISTOBAL HERRERA/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY; WONG MAYE-E/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Genetic-engineering technologies used by mosquito-fighting scientists include a new tool known as Crispr/Cas9.

With Crispr/Cas9, scientists can use an enzyme to snip DNA and insert changes, then build something called a “gene drive” that makes those changes more likely to be inherited by future generations, altering them. Normally, genes have only a 50% chance of being inherited.

Prof. Adelman and Virginia Tech biochemistry professor Zhijian Tu see a way to do this with genes involved in mosquito reproduction. In a paper published in Science last year, the researchers identified a gene that makes Aedes aegypti mosquitoes male.

“This was the master switch that controls sex,” says Prof. Tu. He and Prof. Adelman were co-authors of the research.

The researchers now are working on a system to program mosquitoes to develop as males. Since only females bite, that change could reduce the ability to spread disease. The researchers aim to then use Crispr/Cas9 to build a gene drive that would spread the change through successive generations.

“If you’re successful, then you end up with all males, and the local population crashes,” says Prof. Tu. Prof. Adelman cautions that a system to target Aedes aegypti would have to be designed to leave the African forest-dwelling mosquito Aedes aegypti formosus intact. That type of mosquito doesn’t threaten human, he says.

Prof. Akbari at UC Riverside is using Crispr/Cas9 to design a gene-drive system that would inactivate a fertility gene in female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and then pass on the inactivated gene. That would sterilize future generations of females.

He hopes to test the system within the next several months. “We’re working as fast as we can,” Prof. Akbari says.

Using different technology, Oxitec Ltd. has developed what it calls a “self-limiting” Aedes aegypti mosquito, a male genetically modified to produce offspring that don’t survive or reproduce.

In August, the Food and Drug Administration allowed Oxitec to go ahead with a field trial in Key Haven, Fla. Oxitec is a unit of biotechnology firm Intrexon Corp., based in Germantown, Md.



Oxitec’s technology isn’t as powerful as those using gene drive, because the trait isn’t pushed through multiple generations of mosquitoes. As a result, Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes need to be released regularly.

The company says its tests in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands, where the engineered insects are released in a small area, have cut the Aedes aegypti population in those areas by more than 90%.

ENLARGE
In one field trial in a district of Piricicaba, Brazil, cases of dengue fever fell 91% from the same period a year earlier, Oxitec says.

“We focused on Aedes because we saw it as a great unmet need,” says Haydn Perry, Oxitec’s chief executive. “If you look at the statistics, the rise in dengue has been absolutely shocking since the 1970s.”

In June, a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said in a report that organisms modified by gene drive aren’t ready to be released into the wild.

More research is needed on how the modified organisms work and might affect the environment, the report said, concluding that their proposed uses “are based on limited proof-of-concept studies.”

“We need to think through what responsible conduct looks like when you have these tools in your hand,” says James Collins, a professor of natural history and the environment at Arizona State University who is one of the committee’s leaders.

Field trials and releases of genetically modified mosquitoes require regulatory approval and can take years.

In the Florida Keys, Oxitec’s “self-limiting” mosquitoes face opposition from residents who worry that the insects could harm local ecosystems.

The field trial that got a go-ahead from the FDA will face a nonbinding referendum from voters in Key Haven on Nov. 8. After that, the field trial must be approved by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, spokeswoman Beth Ranson says.

Winning consent from the many countries infested with Aedes aegypti for eradication through the use of gene drive will be difficult. That could limit the impact of the mosquito-fighting technique.

“How on earth are we going to manage informed consent and diplomatic agreement?” says Kevin Esvelt, an evolutionary engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2014, he outlined how using Crispr/Cas9 gene drives could spread genetic traits through wild populations.

Some scientists and foundations say total eradication isn’t necessary. One alternative strategy is to suppress the population of virus-carrying mosquitoes low enough that there are too few left to transmit pathogens from one person to another. That approach could be combined with traditional mosquito-control strategies such as spraying and bed nets.

“We’re not targeting to eliminate mosquitoes. We’re really targeting to eliminate the human diseases,” says Scott Miller, deputy director of the malaria team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.



The foundation started by Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, is investing in a genetic project aimed at cutting the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. During World War II, U.S. forces at Guadalcanal worked on mosquito control.PHOTOS: DAVE THOMPSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; ASSOCIATED PRESS
In December, researchers at Imperial College reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology that they engineered genetic changes that could make Anopheles gambiae populations plummet. That is the most common carrier of the deadliest form of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of cases and deaths occur.

The researchers used Crispr/Cas9 to disrupt genes involved in producing eggs in females, then built a gene drive that passed that trait along to as many as 99.6% of their offspring. As the trait spreads, more females become sterilized, gradually reducing the population, the researchers said.

Imperial College evolutionary geneticist Austin Burt says he and his colleagues are now refining their work.

The Gates Foundation is investing $75 million in the Target Malaria project, partly to help prepare laboratories in Mali, Burkina Faso and Uganda, lay the groundwork to seek regulatory approvals and train staff to conduct field trials. Dr. Miller says release of the engineered mosquitoes into the wild is about a decade away.

Researchers in Australia have developed a way to inject mosquito eggs with a common, naturally occurring bacteria. The eggs need to be injected just once and then pass down the bacteria.

The method is likely to be ready for use far sooner than gene-drive strategies, says Scott O’Neill, director of vector-borne diseases at Australia’s Monash University and head of the mosquito-injection program, called Eliminate Dengue. Large-scale trials are planned in Brazil and Colombia. Financial backers include the Gates Foundation.

Despite the early progress in using gene-editing to conquer the world’s deadliest mosquitoes, many scientists are chastened by history.

A truck sprays the pesticide DDT on Jones Beach, N.Y., in 1945. The push to go after Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with DDT was largely abandoned by the 1970s.
A truck sprays the pesticide DDT on Jones Beach, N.Y., in 1945. The push to go after Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with DDT was largely abandoned by the 1970s. PHOTO: GAMMA-KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGES
In the 1940s, public-health leaders declared war on Aedes aegypti, going after the insects with aggressive spraying campaigns that included DDT, or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane. By the 1970s, the push was largely abandoned. It succumbed to high costs, feared health risks from DDT, a lack of strong U.S. support and the insect’s resurgence in some areas.

Right now, says Texas A&M’s Prof. Adelman, gene drive seems like “an all-powerful tool that will win the war for us, but that is exactly the sentiment that people felt when things like DDT first came along.…It’s good to be optimistic. But we need to be realistic as well.”

Write to Betsy McKay at betsy.mckay@wsj.com

CHICAGO/TAMPA, Fla., Aug 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Friday that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, as it moves to prevent transmission of the virus through the blood supply.
The agency said its decision to expand blood screening in the United States was based on concerns about more cases of local transmission in Florida, the growing number of travel-related infections and concerns that Zika-tainted blood could unwittingly be given to a pregnant woman, putting her unborn baby at risk of severe birth defects.
"The transfusion of a pregnant woman with blood infected with the Zika virus could have terrible consequences," Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said during a conference call with reporters.

The Chase http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/22/the-race-for-a-zika-vaccine

With Congress Deadlocked, White House Diverts Funds to Fight Zika

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/with-congress-deadlocked-white-house-diverts-funds-to-fight-zika.html?_r=0

GOVX has volume today

Four people in Miami likely contracted Zika locally through mosquito bites, Florida's governor said on Friday, the first evidence that the virus tied to a rare but serious birth defect is circulating in the continental United States.

Governor Rick Scott said the state believed active transmission of the virus was occurring within an area of Miami about the size of a square mile (2.6 square kms). Testing showed that one woman and three men had been infected, Scott said.

While health officials have yet to identify mosquitoes carrying the virus, the state has ruled out other means of transmission, including travel to another country with a Zika outbreak, and sexual contact.
source: Reuters

Strange New Case Might Change What We Know About Zika
link to the story:


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/07/mysterious-new-zika-transmission-utah/

Florida health officials are investigating a possible second case of the Zika virus that may have been locally transmitted. The announcement of the case, in Broward County, comes two days after the state said it was investigating a possible homegrown case in Miami-Dade County.

Florida health officials said Tuesday they were investigating a possible case of Zika that wasn't carried back by a traveler.

If it's confirmed, it would be the first evidence that Zika has spread to mosquitoes in the continental U.S. All cases up to now have been in people who traveled to Zika-affected regions or their sexual partners.

A dysfunctional Senate split along party lines has blocked a $1.1B proposal to fight the Zika virus, leaving just two weeks to reach a deal before lawmakers leave for a summer recess in the midst of mosquito season.
Democrats accused Republicans of sabotaging the legislation with provisions designed to deny new funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico and ease rules on pesticide spraying.

Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/business/2016/06/24/inovio-zika-vaccine-human-testing/#L3g5zaWTrxC3AaLx.99

Senate approves $1.1 billion compromise bill to combat Zika

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/17/politics/zika-virus-congress-bill/index.html

Everything you should know about Zika Virus and wish you didn't need to.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/zika/

Best to all and be careful out there... Enjoy dp

GOVX Research Collaboration Agreement w/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Research Collaboration Agreement between GeoVax and the CDC should further broaden and accelerate the company's Zika vaccine development through access to Zika virus antibodies available at the CDC and testing of vaccine candidates by the CDC in appropriate animal models.

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/geovax-extends-research-collaborations-on-zika-vaccine-otcqb-govx-2110183.htm

Zika May Cause Brain Anomalies

Highlighted section for Aethlon Medical mention. The Aethlon hemopurifier has already been used successfully on ebola patient Dr. Mowanda who besides having ebola also had multiple organ failure and was treated at Frankfurt University Hospital. The good Doctor has fully recovered and is reported to be back in Africa continuing on his work with ebola patients. The hemopurifier has been approved by the FDA for emergency and compassionate use during the current testing phase at select ebola centers in the US.

Check out the The Aethlon Hemopurifier® at link below. Zita link follows:

http://www.aethlonmedical.com/products/hemopurifier.htm

Enjoy dp

http://www.businessfinancenews.com/28147-buckle-up-sanofi-inovio-merck-zika-may-cause-brain-anomalies/

Buckle Up Sanofi, Inovio, Merck; Zika May Cause Brain Anomalies
Published by Raheel Farooq on March 9, 2016 at 1:32 pm EST

The virus is becoming epidemic slowly and evolving more leading to complicated neurological diseases

Zika virus has now been declared as an Epidemic. It has become a leading cause to multiple chronic diseases for which a cure has not yet been developed. Sanofi SA (ADR) (NYSE:SNY), Merck & Co, Inc. (NYSE:MRK), Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INO), and others are under a threat now as the world is in desperate need of a cure. The aforementioned companies are very diligently working on the research and development of its vaccine that can stop the invasion of the Zika virus.

The virus’ infection list is expanding geographically from Latin America to the US, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Studies proved that the virus could be a main causative agent of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) as well as brain anomalies in the newborns. The virus is also causing severe neurological ailments in adults such as paralyzing disorder.
ACUTE MY ELITIS

In the latest updates, the researchers working on the virus agreed on the conclusion that the virus can cause an inflammation of the spinal cord termed as “acute myelitis.” A French study was published in the Lancet Medical Journal, discussing a case of a 15-year-old girl who was diagnosed with myelitis in January 2016.

The case was reported at Pointe-a-Pitre Hospital in Guadeloupe. The girl was affected by partial paralysis. The diagnostic tests confirmed Zika virus in the spinal fluid as well as in blood and urine.

Another case was published in relation to the French study in February 2016 providing evidence that the virus can causeGBS, a rare condition, which directly affects the human body’s immune system and specifically the portion of the nervous system controlling the muscle movement and strength. GBS is a combination of symptoms that can affect musculoskeletal system.

Myelitis is a condition affecting the limb movement resulting in muscle weakness leading to paralysis. In the chronic stages, it can be fatal as the whole body suffers from severe muscle stretching as well as spams resulting in dyspnea and might lead to the need of intubation.
HISTORY

The virus was basically a mosquito-borne flavivirus causing symptoms similar to the flu, first reported in Brazil. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared it a “global public health emergency.”

The estimates given by the WHO were alarming as per the regulatory agency it can affect more than four million people. First it was thought to be limited only in Latin America, but now it is spreading slowly. Cases are reported on a daily basis in the US as well as Asia and Africa. Along with a mosquito bite, the virus can also spread by sexual contact with the infected person.

In late February, France confirmed its first European case of Zika being transmitted through sexual contact. Two similar cases were confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
ZIKA MANAGEMENT APPROACHES
STEM CELL REVOLUTION

Stem cell transplantation has already opened new doors for the treatment of chronic and life-threatening diseases. A very productive study was published on March 4, 2016, in the Journal of Stem Cell, which proved that Zika virus is causing microcephaly.

The researchers used the lab-grown human stem cells to assess the infected site. The results showed that the neural progenitor cells were directly affected by the virus, killing them within three days’ time. The role of these cells is very vital in the development of the cortex.

According to the research team, the study’s findings are consistent with the hypothesis that Zika is responsible for causing microcephaly.
PHARMACEUTICALS

Approximately 15 drug makers were in touch with the WHO regarding the development of vaccines. Another 20 were involved in the manufacturing of the diagnostic tools for testing.

Till date, the vaccines used globally are either killed-virus or live-attenuated virus vaccines. The development of a single vaccine takes more than a decade to be used in humans without compromising any safety and efficacy profiles.

On the other hand, DNA-based vaccines take less time to develop and have fewer side effects. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve any DNA-based vaccine till today.

Sanofi has already started the vaccine’s research and development program. The drug maker has a vast experience in relation to the mosquito-borne disease and has developed vaccines for the treatment of yellow fever and dengue. The company has launched its dengue virus vaccine by the name of Dengvaxia. According to the drug maker, Zika virus vaccine will need approximately three years to be marketed.
DIAGNOSTICS

Besides the vaccine development, the diagnostic kit is of utmost importance as the virus remains asymptomatic. Multiple companies are working on the development of the diagnostic kit such as Germany’s Genekam Biotechnology, who claims that they have already developed a kit and is applying to the European and US authorities for approval.

The Scripps Research Institute is using a robotic technique for the clinical tests by injecting fluorescent luciferase into modified Zika cells. This substance will help to show either the drug or vaccine is capable of destroying the virus.
DIALYSIS APPROACH

There is a concept of washing away the virus from the body, similar to dialysis process. Premier Biomedical Inc. is working on using sequential dialysis for the purpose, but the technique has been tested only in mice so far.

Aethlon Medical Inc. is also working on the same format of filtering out the pathogens from the body. The drug maker is planning to test the technique and solution in the patients suffering from dengue in Delhi, India.
GENETIC

Inovio is way ahead in the development of the Zika virus vaccine. The company is working on the DNA sequence for its eradication from the human body. At present, the vaccine is ready to be tested in primates. Depending upon the results, the decision will be taken to go ahead for the trial on humans, which is expected at the end of this year.

WHO is funding trials of genetically-modified mosquitoes. These mosquitoes will play a vital role inhibiting its reproduction. The modification is done in a way that the mosquitoes will die before they reach the age of reproduction. Intrexon has conducted trials of this modification.
GLOBAL PARTICIPATION

Google has taken a step ahead by donating $1 million along with a team of helping associates to UNICEF. The grant will be used in eradicating the mosquito population as well as in the development of the vaccines.

The tech giant is playing its role in creating awareness about the virus and its risks to the public via different media sources.

World Bank (WB) has also announced $150 million for the worst hit countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. This financial aid will help in the monitoring and controlling infection vectors, identifying risk groups, monitoring follow-up care, and promoting activities to overcome the virus.

Does anybody know what company this is? Greg



The Next Pandemic Is Here... Here's What You Should Know
The Stansberry Digest <customerservice@exct.stansberryresearch.com>
To greg17jvs@yahoo.com
Today at 5:03 PM
Please Enable Images To See This
March 2, 2016

The next 'pandemic' is here… 'Three to four million could be infected'… What you should know about Zika… A vaccine could already be here… The latest from P.J. O'Rourke…

As if we didn't have enough to worry about…

The U.S. stock market appears to be starting a bear market… Credit markets are as stressed as they've been since the last financial crisis… Central banks are as clueless as ever… And it looks like American voters will have the pleasure of "choosing" between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton this fall (be sure to see the latest essay from contributing editor P.J. O'Rourke below).

Now, you can add another big concern to the list…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") reports Zika – a frightening virus spread by mosquitoes – has officially reached "pandemic" levels in South America. As a result, it has already moved its emergency operations center to its highest activation status – Level 1 – for only the fourth time in history.

The World Health Organization is also concerned… It says Zika is "spreading explosively," and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas this year alone.

This is because it's spread by a particular species of tropical mosquito – Aedes aegypti. Unlike most mosquitoes, which bite mostly at night, mosquitoes of this species are known as "aggressive" daytime biters. This means they're most active when most people are, too.

While mosquitoes are the primary route of transmission to date, the CDC recently confirmed that the virus can also be sexually transmitted.

According to the CDC, about one in five people who become infected with the virus becomes ill. The illness typically lasts from several days to a week, and the most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), muscle pain, and headache.

But there is growing evidence linking Zika to a serious birth defect in babies of mothers who have been infected while pregnant. Microcephaly, as it's known, is a condition in which the baby's head (and often brain) is far smaller than normal, often leading to developmental problems.

But that's not all…

A new study, published Monday in prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, suggests Zika could also be linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome ("GBS") in adults. GBS is a rare condition that causes the body's immune system to attack peripheral nerves by mistake, leading to muscle weakness, breathing problems, and, in severe cases, paralysis or death.

The study analyzed patient blood samples from the last outbreak of Zika – in French Polynesia during 2013 and 2014 – and found evidence the virus could cause GBS. As lead author, Arnaud Fontanet of the Institut Pasteur in France, explained…

This is the first study to look at a large number of patients who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome following Zika virus infection and provide evidence that Zika virus can cause GBS. Most of the patients with GBS reported they had experienced symptoms of Zika virus infection on average six days before any neurological symptoms, and all carried Zika virus antibodies.

If the current outbreak behaves like the last, the study's authors predict as many as one in 4,000 people infected with Zika could ultimately develop GBS.

While the outbreak is most severe in South American countries like Brazil, where more than 1.5 million cases have been reported, the virus has already spread throughout most of Central America and Mexico.

It's also spreading quickly in U.S. territories like the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico. In fact, a report in yesterday's Washington Post said there are now 117 confirmed cases in Puerto Rico. That's four times more than in January, and officials predict at least one in five Puerto Ricans will become infected. The territory has already declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak.

To date, the CDC reports there are 107 confirmed cases of Zika in the U.S. But importantly, none of these were "locally acquired, vector-borne" cases.

That means none of these individuals was infected by a mosquito in the U.S. Instead, most were infected while traveling to another country. And several others were infected through sexual contact with someone else who had been infected while traveling.

In other words, if you haven't traveled to these countries, and haven't had contact with anyone who has, your risk of infection today is extremely small.

But that could soon change…

Officials say it's unlikely we'll see true pandemic levels of Zika here in the U.S. for a number of reasons. For example, more folks live and work in sealed, air-conditioned homes and offices in the U.S. than in poorer South and Central American countries. Access to health education and services is also higher.

But that doesn't mean Zika won't be a problem here, too…

According to official data, Aedes aegypti is already present in many southern states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and parts of Tennessee, New Mexico, and California. It's likely only a matter of time before Zika arrives in one or more of these states.

In addition, some researchers believe this mosquito species' range may be even greater than believed. These mosquitoes are able to breed in very small pools of water – even as small as an overturned bottle cap – making them hard to track. And a recent study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene showed these warm-climate mosquitoes are surviving and breeding in small pockets as far north as Washington, D.C. As the study's authors told news network CNN today…

If [we] had just told people that these mosquitoes had overwintered in Washington, D.C., they wouldn't believe [us]. Those mosquitoes shouldn't have been there.

It's really weird that [they're] here, so who knows where else [they are]?

Today, there is no treatment for Zika… The only way to prevent infection is to avoid getting bitten by an infected mosquito, and avoid those who have been. That's obviously much easier said than done.

Fortunately, we may be close to a solution. And our colleague Dave Lashmet – editor of the excellent Stansberry Venture advisory – has been all over this development from the beginning.

Last summer – before Zika was making headline news – Dave identified one tiny drugmaker that was developing an incredible new vaccine technology.

In simple terms, it was working on something like an "antibiotic" for the virus world… a technology that could potentially be used against a number of different viruses, rather than just one. As Dave explained in the August issue of Stansberry Venture…

This is a world-changing possibility for medicine that has never before existed… a potential antidote to viral infections.

Most viral infections are untreatable: When a virus attacks your body, your immune system is on its own to fight off the bug. If it succeeds, you recover. Otherwise, it can fight the virus to a stalemate – leaving you with a chronic condition – or it fails, and the virus eventually kills you. Regardless, no pill will help make the virus go away.

We've made great progress lately with hepatitis C. And acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is now controllable if you can tolerate seven different classes of drugs. But broadly speaking, we have never had an equivalent to antibiotics or antifungals when it comes to viruses. Until now…

This tiny company has been quietly working for months on a preventative vaccine for Zika. And it now has one.

This vaccine has already been shown to work in mice, and is in larger animal testing now.

Because there is currently no treatment for Zika, animal testing and a small human safety trial should be enough to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Dave says "provisional" approval could be granted in less than a year.

But Stansberry Venture subscribers likely won't have to wait even that long to profit…

If the vaccine works as expected, Dave believes a big vaccine maker like Merck (MRK), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), or Pfizer (PFE) is virtually guaranteed to buy this tiny company at a huge premium. Today's investors could quickly double their money or more.

That may sound unbelievable, but if you know anything about Dave's track record, it won't surprise you.

Last year alone, Dave recommended four separate companies just days or weeks before they soared 100% or more.

And that was out of just 11 total recommendations in 2015. That's right… 36% of Dave's Stansberry Venture recommendations doubled last year.

And Dave believes this tiny vaccine maker could be the next.

Incredibly, despite the recent positive news on the company's Zika vaccine, shares are still trading below Dave's maximum buy price. But that may not be the case much longer.

$FHCO #1 ZIKA PLAY!!

$FHCO The Female Health Company Featured in Documentary Television Series "Big Questions"

The Female Health Company (NASDAQ:FHCO) (FHC or the Company) today announced that it will be featured in an upcoming episode of "Big Questions," an Emmy® Award winning documentary television series that explores new ideas and projects that are changing the way the world works. The episode “Empowering Kenya” focuses on the critical roles the Company and its FC2 Female Condoms play in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the leading cause of death globally for women ages 15 to 44, and other sexually transmitted infections. “Empowering Kenya” will be featured on WTTW/PBS in Chicago at 10:30 PM CT on February 19, 2016, check your local listings for dates and times in your area. The episode will also be available to view online after the broadcast.

For more than 20 years, FHC has been dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women around the world. FC2 helps protect against unintended pregnancies, an ongoing major health and economic issue worldwide, with adolescents accounting for a disproportionate percentage of the overall burden of disease (disability - adjusted life years) associated with pregnancy and childbirth. And, more recently, we are working closely and actively engaging with leading health organizations throughout the world, especially North America and South America, regarding the Zika virus. Our goal is to provide information and options to effectively protect women from sexually transmitted infections.

http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=70445708

$FHCO on fire since listed here!

GOVX GeoVax is way ahead of any Zika vaccine maker and we are also working on cancer and HIV vacccines. Bloomberg News 2/15/2016~
"Bharat of Hyderabad, India started working on the virus a year ago, Chief Executive Officer Krishna Ella said in an interview. Many others embarking on Zika product-development are starting from scratch, according to Farshad Guirakhoo, senior vice president of research and development at GeoVax of Smyrna, Georgia, which is working on a vaccine in collaboration with the University of Georgia."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-15/zika-fears-spur-pharmaceutical-gold-rush-amid-vaccine-vacuum

Upsurge in paralysis condition accompanies Zika virus

From yesterday. See link below for video.

http://news.yahoo.com/doctors-upsurge-paralysis-condition-accompanies-050831706.html

Doctors: Upsurge in paralysis condition accompanies Zika
Associated Press By FRANK BAJAK and LIBARDO CARDONA

CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) — The doctor taps Zulay Balza’s knees with a hammer and she doesn’t feel a thing. She can’t squeeze his outstretched fingers or shut her eyelids. Her face is partially paralyzed.

“The weakness started in my legs and climbed upward. The face was last. After three days, I couldn’t walk,” said Balza, 49. “My legs felt like rags.”

Balza is a patient at the public University Hospital in Cucuta, at the epicenter of the Colombian outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Only Brazil has more cases.

Two weeks ago, she came under assault by Guillain-Barre (gee-YOHN-bah-RAY), a rare and sometimes fatal affliction that is the Western world’s most common cause of general paralysis.

Alarm over the Zika epidemic spreading across the Americas has been chiefly over birth defects, but frontline physicians believe a surge in Guillain-Barre cases may also be related.

The World Health Organization says Guillain-Barre cases are on the rise in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela, all hit hard by Zika, though a link remains unproven.

The auto-immune disorder historically strikes only one or two people in 100,000. About one in 20 of those cases ends in death in the developed world, and it is frightful.

“I thought my body was going to explode,” said Balza, sitting on her hospital bed and apparently over the worst.

Guillain-Barre attacks skeletal muscular nerves as if they were a foreign enemy. Fine motor skills rapidly erode, arms and legs tingle and weaken to numbness. Patients lose their balance, their speech. In rare cases, they require ventilators to stay alive.

The syndrome typically strikes after a bacterial or viral infection, such as influenza, HIV or dengue, though its cause can’t always be determined.

Dr. Jairo Lizarazo, the neurologist treating Balza, has seen cases increase more than tenfold since December — 30 cases in all — in this muggy city bordering Venezuela. Like Balza, many patients never showed the characteristic symptoms of Zika — fever, rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Four in five don’t.

He’s convinced the virus boosts susceptibility to Guillain-Barre.

“It’s an epidemiological association,” said Lizarazo. “We don’t know exactly how it works. But it’s there, for sure.”

Associated cases confirmed or suspected based on clinical evidence number in the hundreds. Guillain-Barre cases believed to be linked to the virus have killed three people in recent weeks in Colombia and health officials have attributed another three Guillian-Barre deaths in Venezuela to suspected Zika infections.

WHO said Zika has been confirmed present in apparently just one Guillain-Barre death, in the northwestern Venezuela state of Zulia in January.

Dr. Maria Lucia Brito Ferreira, chief neurologist at Hospital da Restauracao in Recife, Brazil, said she hopes to get laboratory confirmation this month that nine Guillain-Barre deaths recorded there in the past year were Zika-related.

Cases of Guillain-Barre in Colombia — about 450 annually before Zika struck — were up nearly threefold in the past month and a half.

El Salvador has reported 118 cases since November, nearly as many as previously seen in a year. “The only explanation is the Zika virus,” said Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza.

Dr. Osvaldo Nascimento, a leading Rio neurologist, estimates Brazilian cases of Guillain-Barre are up fivefold. Reporting is not compulsory, so the government’s partial figure of 1,868 cases requiring hospitalization last year is a sketchy parameter.

An upsurge in Guillain-Barre was documented in 2013 during a major Zika outbreak in French Polynesia, with a study finding cases up twentyfold. WHO said all 42 cases recorded in the Pacific archipelago tested positive for Zika as well as dengue fever, which is also currently present in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and other Zika-affected countries.

Antibodies for the dengue and chikungunya viruses, which are far more debilitating than Zika, are often being found in infected patients. That is making establishing a direct Zika-Guillain-Barre link more complicated.

Like Zika, both viruses are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and could also trigger Guillian-Barre, experts say.

Under normal circumstances, eight in 10 patients nearly fully recover from Guillian-Barre, though it sometimes takes months.

Data on Guillain-Barre is scant in most of the developing world. Of 18 countries participating in a clinical study launched by Dutch physicians in 2012, only two are in Latin America: Mexico and Argentina. Brazil just joined.

Across the region, investigators were simply unable to get government funding to participate, said Dr. Ken Gorson, a Tufts University neurologist and president-elect of an international foundation that combats Guillain-Barre.

Poorer countries were ill-prepared to manage the crisis.

Colombia’s National Health Institute is overwhelmed with a weeks-long backlog in completing tests for Zika.

The three Guillain-Barre deaths that the country’s Health Ministry attributed to Zika on Feb. 5 have not yet been confirmed by laboratory tests, said spokesman Ricardo Amortegui. Nor have the three deaths in the Venezuelan state of Lara announced last week.

One Guillian-Barre fatality in Colombia suspected of being linked to Zika was a 51-year-old man from the Caribbean island of San Andres who died in November, said Rita Almanza, epidemiology chief in Medellin. The others were a 45-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman flown from Turbo on the Caribbean coast who died in Medellin in February.

Guillain-Barre grabbed hold of Nancy Pino in neighboring Venezuela with devastating effect.

The 68-year retired school administrator developed fever, rashes and muscle pain while celebrating Christmas with her family in the hot lowland state of Anzoategui.

She recovered quickly. Days later, her hands and feet started to go numb. Her tongue felt like it was asleep. She stopped eating.

The family rushed her to a Caracas hospital. She could barely walk.

Bed-ridden, she lost the ability to talk and soon, to breathe. Doctors attached her to a respirator.

“It was so quick,” daughter Nihara Ramos said between sobs. “It was like a flame consuming her from the bottom up.”

Doctors diagnosed Guillain-Barre with a spinal tap — they assumed she had Zika earlier — and suggested that the relatives obtain immunoglobulin, an expensive treatment that pools healthy antibodies from hundreds of donors. Gorson said it costs $15,000-$45,000 in the United States.

The family, straightjacketed by Venezuela’s economic crisis, couldn’t find or afford enough.

In less than three weeks, a woman who once bounded up seven flights of stairs to her apartment was dead.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Bajak reported this story from Lima, Peru, and AP writer Libardo Cardona reported in Cucuta, Colombia. AP writers Hannah Dreier in Caracas, Venezuela; Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El Salvador; and Luis Henao in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report.

$GOVX $FHCO $BIEI all mentioned in Bloomberg article

Zika Fears Spur Pharmaceutical Gold Rush Amid Vaccine Vacuum

dated 2/15/16

Premier Biomedical Inc., based in El Paso, Texas, and its Brazilian partner plan to use an approach called sequential dialysis to rid patients’ bodies of Zika and dengue.

The Female Health Company, a maker of condoms for women, says its product can play a role in preventing infection after some countries advised women to put off getting pregnant. FC2, as the product is known, is “an excellent method for preventing pregnancy in view of the Zika virus” and has made an appearance on national television in Brazil as such a contraceptive, Chief Executive Officer O. B. Parrish said on a conference call last week.

Brazil Zika virus: New link to microcephaly in babies

More evidence linking the Zika virus to birth defects in babies has been found, scientists in Brazil say.

The research team discovered the virus in the brains of two babies who only lived for 48 hours.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35584953

ZIKA Plays CMRX GILD XON CERS
See article

Larvicide True Cause Of Brazil's Microcephaly Outbreak

Interesting article from Tech Times

Enjoy dp

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/133548/20160214/monsanto-larvicide-not-zika-virus-true-cause-of-brazils-microcephaly-outbreak-doctors.htm


Larvicide Manufactured By Sumitomo, Not Zika Virus, True Cause Of Brazil's Microcephaly Outbreak: Doctors

By Alyssa Navarro, Tech Times | February 14, 8:58 AM

A group of Argentine physicians claim that the sudden microcephaly outbreak in Brazil was not caused by the Zika virus, but by a larvicide injected into the country's water supplies.
(Photo : Mario Tama | Getty Images)

The microcephaly outbreak in Brazil, which coincided with the spread of the Zika virus, continues to stun the world, even months after the incident was first reported.

Pregnant women all over the world have been advised to take caution. The Zika virus infection has been linked to newborn babies with the birth defect microcephaly. This is a congenital condition in which babies are born with unusually tiny heads.

The notion, however, has recently been challenged by a group of Argentine physicians. The group suspects that the Zika virus is not to blame for the rise in microcephaly cases, but that a toxic larvicide introduced into Brazil's water supplies may be the real culprit.

Not A Coincidence?

According to the Physicians in Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), a chemical larvicide that produces malformations in mosquitoes was injected into Brazil's water supplies in 2014 in order to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks.

The chemical, which is known as Pyriproxyfen, was used in a massive government-run program tasked to control the mosquito population in the country. Pyriproxyfen is a larvicide manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a company associated [PDF] with Monsanto. However, PCST has referred to Sumitomo as a subsidiary of Monsanto.

"Malformations detected in thousands of children from pregnant women living in areas where the Brazilian state added pyriproxyfen to drinking water is not a coincidence," the PCST wrote [pdf] in the report.

For instance, the Brazilian Health Ministry had injected pyriproxyfen to reservoirs in the state of Pernambuco. In the area, the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the Zika virus, is very high, the PCST said.

Pernambuco is also the first state in Brazil to notice the problem. The state contains 35 percent of the total microcephaly cases in the country.

The group of Argentine doctors points out that during past Zika epidemics, there have not been any cases of microcephaly linked with the virus. In fact, about 75 percent of the population in countries where Zika broke out had been infected by the mosquito-borne virus.

In countries such as Colombia where there are plenty of Zika cases, there are no records of microcephaly linked to Zika, the group said.

When the Colombian president announced that many of the country's citizens were infected with Zika but that there was not a single case of microcephaly, the allegations soon emerged. Some 3,177 pregnant women in the country were infected with Zika, but the PCST report said these women are carrying healthy fetuses or had given birth to healthy babies.

Remain Skeptical

On its website, Sumitomo Chemical says pyriproxyfen poses minimal risk to birds, fish and mammals.

However, the evidence is overwhelming. The Washington Post reported in January that after experts examined 732 cases out of 4,180 Zika-related microcephaly, more than half were not related to Zika at all. Only 270 cases were confirmed as Zika-linked microcephaly.

On top of all the suspicions, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been careful not to explicitly link Zika to microcephaly.

"Although a causal link between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly — and I must emphasize — has not been established, the circumstantial evidence is suggestive and extremely worrisome," said WHO General Director Margaret Chan.

In the meantime, scientists are currently racing toward developing a vaccine for the mosquito-borne infection.

While there is no solid proof yet that the larvicide causes microcephaly, the local government of Grande do Sul in the southern portion of Brazil suspended the use of the chemical larvicide pyriproxyfen.

A Monsanto representative reached out to Tech Times to clarify that the company does not sell or manufacture pyriproxyfen.

"Neither Monsanto nor our products have any connection to the Zika virus or microcephaly. Monsanto does not manufacture or sell Pyriproxyfen. And, Monsanto does not own Sumitomo Chemical Company. It is, however, a business partner like others in the area of crop protection," the representative said.

BIEI!!!! NEWS OUT!!!!!! ZIKA PLAY IN EFFECT

Premier Biomedical Inc. Optimistic Their Patented Methodology Will Be Effective In Treating Dengue and Zika Virus

Feb 16, 2016

OTC Disclosure & News Service

-

Premier Biomedical, Inc. (OTCQB: BIEI) a biotech research public company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing medical treatments for a wide range of diseases in humans, announced today that they believe their recently patented (U.S. Pat. #9,216,386) treatment methodology, in conjunction with pending provisional patent applications, can be effectively used in treating Zika, and Dengue as well as other serious viruses. Premier, together with their Brazilian JV partner, Auramedi, are working to accelerate their research efforts in this area.

Mitchell S. Felder, MD, Premier Biomedical’s Scientific Advisory Board Chairman said, “We believe that by lowering the viral load on the mother’s system, her own immune system can better fight the virus in her body and therefore, that of her fetus, thereby increasing the chances of her delivering a normal, healthy baby without microcephaly. The larger the viral load on the mother, the higher the chances of her baby having severe disabilities or being still-born.”

Future testing is planned to prove out the effectiveness of Premier’s patented process on treating viruses.

GhostInTheMatrix:

Thanks for this Zika virus IHUB message board. Below is some basic DD on Aethlon Medical (NASDAQ - AEMD) as you requested hopefully to be added to the ZIKA virus (Shorts and Longs) (ZIKA) message board.

I urge all here to explore Aethlon Medical at the links provided below.

Thanks again. Best to all here. Enjoy dp

AEMD- Aethlon Medical - http://www.aethlonmedical.com/

About The Aethlon Hemopurifier®

Of the hundreds of viruses known to be infectious to man, antiviral drug therapies are approved for fewer than ten. The Aethlon Hemopurifier® provides a broad-spectrum therapeutic strategy to address drug resistant viral pathogens. To date, Hemopurifier therapy has been administered to individuals infected with Ebola virus (Ebola), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Time Magazine recently named the Hemopurifier to their list of “Top 25 Inventions" and "The 11 Most Remarkable Advances in Healthcare." Beyond human treatment experiences, pre-clinical Hemopurifier studies have validated the capture of some of world’s deadliest pathogens. These include: Dengue hemorrhagic virus, Lassa hemorrhagic virus, H5N1 avian influenza virus, H1N1 swine flu virus, the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus, West Nile virus, Zika virus and Vaccinia and Monkeypox, which serve as models for human smallpox infection. U.S. clinical progression of Hemopurifier therapy is being advanced under FDA approved clinical studies.

Aethlon is also investigating the use of Hemopurifier therapy to capture tumor-derived exosomes, a significant unaddressed therapeutic target in cancer care. Tumor-derived exosomes promote cancer progression through multiple mechanisms, which include seeding the spread of metastasis and direct suppression of the immune response.

Link to most recent webcast at Source Capital Conference on Feb 10, 2016 in New York City:

http://wsw.com/webcast/sourcecap1/aemd/index.aspx

...PSID..."Why PSID is important with regards to protecting the rest of the world from the Zika virus is that just last week their assay testing partner, GenArraytion, announced they have introduced the first commercially available test to identify the Zika virus. It’s important to note that PSID has been, and continues to, successfully test for and detect pathogens using many of GenArraytion’s assays on the Firefly Dx breadboard prototype system in under 30 minutes."
wealthyventurecapitalist.com/2016/02/03/who-declares-zika-a-health-emergency-of-international-concern-5-companies-developing-technologies-in-the-fight-against-the-epidemic/

GOVX was covered on Fox news channel today when I was watching. Here is what was said.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=120443873

Thx cj... I appreciate it.

Yes. GOVX is the #1 Zika vaccine virus play as they are at the forefront of the vaccine here in the US and the world. That is why they have been covered by the big papers etc. and today Fox news channel covered them and the collaboration with The University of Georgia. You should read all the bold DD on the GOVX board. They also have bene working on Cancer and HIV vaccines for years so big news on those could hit anytime also. A vaccine takes about 7 to 8 years but fast tracked can be done in about 2 years. Some f their older vaccines could be ready for big news. They have already used similar vaccines on over 500 patients so far.

I apologize...I see FHCO listed.

Alabama has their first ZIKA case confirmed. Is GOVX the only company working with someone on a vaccination?

HEB http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hemispherx-biopharma-exploring-possible-research-133000147.html

President Obama Wants $1.8 Billion to Fight Zika Virus

http://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/

The president will submit a request to Congress on Monday

President Obama is asking Congress to provide $1.8 billion in emergency funding to fight the Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness that could be causing the proliferation of a rare birth defect in some Latin American countries.

The president will submit a formal request to Congress on Monday requesting money to up increase mosquito control programs, help build response and support capacities in states and territories where transmission is possible, expand research into the link between the virus and birth defects, and help countries currently facing the virus keep it from spreading.



“There is much we do not yet know about Zika and its relationship to the poor health outcomes that are being reported in Zika-affected areas,” a White House Fact Sheet reads. “We must work aggressively to investigate these outbreaks, and mitigate, to the best extent possible, the spread of the virus.”


Brazil has been hardest hit by the virus, which has been detected in 26 countries and territories in the Americas. World health officials believe it could spread to three or four million people this year, including in the United States.

The request also includes an additional $250 million in federal assistance in Puerto Rico for women and children who are at risk for or have been diagnosed with microcephaly, the birth disorder linked to the virus. A public health emergency has been declared in the U.S. territory because of the virus.

Democrats in Congress pushed the president to formulate a proper response plan for the virus and called for additional resources and an interagency response to fighting the virus. The White House has been insistent that the administration is responding aggressively to the virus, which has not yet been transmitted via mosquito in the U.S. The virus has already been transmitted on U.S. soil via sexual contact.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been actively working to keep the public informed about the virus. Officials are now advising pregnant women and their male partners to use condoms or abstain from sex if either have traveled to or live in Zika infected areas.

Yup gona be huge

FHCO -This is probably the #1 Zika play right now. Profitable, growing, and will have a need long after the Zika virus is contained.

Many of the countries affected are advising women not to become pregnant for 2 years!

these guys got a solar powered mosquito killer AGSO

http://www.solarfws.com/en/product_view.asp?id=22

and an investor is interested in AgriSolar Solution
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/overview/4038/agrisolar-solutions-4038.html

http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/AGSO/profile

Picaridin: The new champion?

Created by Bayer in the 1980s, picaridin (pronounced pih-CARE-a-den) is a synthetic compound developed from a plant extract from the genus Piper, the same plant genus that produces table pepper. Picaridin has been available since 1998 in Europe and Australia—where it is the best-selling insect repellent—but was approved for sale in the United States only in 2005. (You may see it listed as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, or icaridin.) As with DEET, the EPA has concluded that the normal use of picaridin does not present a health concern.

Studies have shown picaridin to be as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. Unlike DEET, however, picaridin is odorless, non-greasy, and does not dissolve plastics or other synthetics. The one possible concern with picaridin is its relative newness. Insufficient time has passed for long-term health risks (should they exist) to manifest themselves. A limited, but growing, number of repellents contain picaridin, including Cutter Advanced, Sawyer Premium, and Repel Smart Spray.

Visit the AMC Store for our top pick for Picaridin-based insect repellent.

http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2012/equipped/picaridin-vs-deet-insect-repellent.cfm

I want to find a company in the OTC with exposure to the insect repellent market, including mosquito nets. Haven't found any manufacturers in the OTC yet.

When I do find one, guarantee it will be posted here

This might be of interest to the anyone looking for stocks connected to ZIKA virus

Bug spray brands ramp up production due to Zika

Bug-spray makers are prepping for a bump in sales as Zika fears grow.

The manufacturers of major insect repellents such as Off and Coleman are ramping up production in anticipation of increased demand from U.S. customers once mosquito season hits during the spring and summer months.
"Unquestionably we’ll see some increased demand and are already seeing that now with some of our major retail partners reaching out saying, 'Hey are you positioned with displays? Are you stocked well enough?'," says Andrew Wundrock, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Wisconsin Pharmacal.

S.C. Johnson, the maker of the Off brand, plans to have its factories running at full capacity by the end of the month, an unusually-high production schedule for this time of year, says Kelly Semrau, senior vice president of corporate affairs and sustainability.

"We have purchased more components and more ingredients than we would ever have at this point," she says. The company has experienced significantly higher orders from retail customers in southern states at this point in time compared to the same time last year. It expects that ordering trend to soon spread to more northern states.

Spectrum Brands, the maker of Cutter and Repel repellents, has received requests from retail partners to move up orders so that stores will be stocked earlier in the season, says Eric Kenney, vice president of marketing in Spectrum’s home and garden division. It has also secured commitments from its suppliers to be able to meet increased demand if it arises.

Avon, maker of Skin So Soft Bug Guard, is "taking the necessary steps to ensure that we have a continuous supply of our Bug Guard products," says company spokeswoman Lindsay Fox.

While there is no cure for Zika, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those traveling to Zika-infected areas use Environmental Protection Agency-registered bug repellents.

Repellents with the active ingredient called DEET are generally considered the most effective at keeping mosquitos at bay, says Spectrum Brands vice president Kenney, though Consumer Reports has found sprays with other active ingredients like picaridin are also highly effective and can have milder side effects.

***MAJOR NEWS BULLETIN*** $FHCO 2/5/16

Female Health Co (FHCO.O), which makes condoms for women, said it has been in contact with various health agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the WHO, and has seen a growing number of enquiries.

"We are working with the local health ministers at these countries to help provide the product that they will either be distributing or recommending to the public," Michele Greco, chief financial officer of the U.S.-based company told Reuters.

http://in.reuters.com/article/health-zika-condoms-idINKCN0VE2JQ

Very interesting development - but as far as I can tell it's entirely privately held & no obvious angle to play here in the markets.

http://in.reuters.com/article/health-zika-vaccine-idINKCN0VC12U

Bharat Biotech says working on two possible Zika vaccines

https://www.good.is/articles/zika-virus-vaccine-brazil-india?utm_source=TSE&utm_medium=FB&utm_campaign=pd&utm_content=inf_10_81_2&tse_id=INF_17f330795778461db8b3f23c13c1c560

Indian Scientists Develop World’s First Zika Vaccine

Anybody got any thoughts?

$ITXN @.12c Burlington Labs..CDC recommended prevention of Zika Virus
When there is no vaccine there is Prevention.

Bear with me, here's some research:

From the CDC... •Treat clothing and gear with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated items.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/index.html?platform=hootsuite

Permethrin is registered by the EPA
Factory-Treated Clothing to Repel Insects
The only insect repellent currently used for factory treatment of clothing is permethrin. Permethrin is a broad spectrum, non-systemic, synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that targets adults and larvae of many species of biting, chewing, scaling, soil, and flying invertebrates. Permethrin is registered by the EPA as an insecticide for use in a variety of settings. When used to pre-treat clothing, it is an insect repellent.
... Women Who are Pregnant or Nursing
Based on our review of scientific studies, there is no evidence of reproductive or developmental effects to mother or child following exposure to permethrin.
http://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/repellent-treated-clothing#treated clothing intro

Company
$ITXN..International Textile Group or ITG Global
http://www.itg-global.com/

Shares Outstanding 17m Float 3m
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=ITXN+Profile

Income and Balance sheet
http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ITXN/financials

http://www.burlington.com/
https://www.facebook.com/burlington1923/?fref=photo
https://www.facebook.com/burlington1923/?fref=photo
https://www.conedenim.com/
https://www.facebook.com/conedenimITG?_rdr=p


The Product

Registered with the EPA, Burlington Labs.. No Fly Zone insect repellent technology is a contact insecticide and/or repellent, helping protect you from insects and insect-borne diseases.
No Fly Zone is effective against multiple species of crawling and flying insects.
No Fly Zone’s active ingredient permethrin is a synthetic form of a naturally occurring repellent found in the chrysthanthemum flower.
Permethrin is registered with the EPA as an insect repellent on apparel, and with the FDA as an insect repellent for agricultural and pharmaceutical end uses.

APPLICATION
Our unique, patented process and proprietary binding system provides a uniform application across the fabric. As treated fabric, No Fly Zone requires no further processing. The application is extremely consistent and durable.

No Fly Zone can be processed with various types of fibers: nylon, polyester, cotton, wool and Nomex®.

http://www.burlington.com/no-fly-zone/
Marketing Material ...
http://www.burlington.com/no-fly-zone-marketing-statements/#

EPA registered... http://ofmpub.epa.gov/apex/pesticides/f?p=ppls:102:0::no::p102_reg_num:83588-1

Burlington Labs.. http://www.burlington.com/burlington-labs/

Were to Buy

Cabela's... http://www.cabelas.com/category/IDS-No-Fly-Zone/333159480.uts

LL Bean... Why We Love It
Nothing ruins a fishing trip like swarms of bugs. That won’t be a problem in this bug repellent shirt. Developed with the help of Burlington Labs, we evenly treated the fabric with Permethrin – a synthetic form of a naturally occurring insect repellent found in chrysanthemums. It has thoughtfully placed pockets and vents for a comfortable day out on the lake or ocean. And lastly, you don’t have to worry about ironing because this shirt isn’t just bug free, it’s wrinkle-free.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?freeText=bug+repellent+clothing&init=1&sort_field=Relevance

Duluth Trading...
http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/sitesearchresults.aspx?pg=1&p_keyword=no+fly+zone&p_utk=no+fly+zone&p_search_sid=&gndr=&p_origin=mens-home&processor=content

Other links to buy
By the yard.. Repels Mosquitoes that can cause Zika and other diseases
http://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Bright-Oxford-Fabric-Repellent/dp/B0195G1U9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1454635250&sr=8-1&keywords=no+fly+zone+burlington

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/dorfman-pacific-golf-stetson-no-fly-boonie-hat.html?utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=20DORSTETSOMENXLG11KHK01#product-info

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/rambo-fly-buster-vamoose-with-nofly-zone-10245?cm_mmc=Social-_-Video-_-ActiveRiders-_-RamboFlyBusterVamoosewithNoFlyZone&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Video&utm_content=ActiveRiders&utm_campaign=RamboFlyBusterVamoosewithNoFlyZone

FHCO - nice find. Profitable too.

$FHCO just added to the list. ZIKA PREVENTION

The Female Health Company manufactures, markets and sells the FC2 female condom, the only currently available product under a woman's control that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which provides dual protection against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

“I remain optimistic about the Company’s future for the following reasons:

The unfortunate emergence of the Zika Virus epidemic in Brazil and other countries has created serious issues for infected women who may become pregnant. Women who are infected may give birth to children with brain deformities. As a result women in Brazil and other countries have been advised not to become pregnant. The female condom is an excellent product to prevent pregnancy during this epidemic.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/female-health-company-reports-fiscal-133000390.html

Aug. 31, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Female Health Company (NASDAQ:FHCO) today announced that, its exclusive distributor in Brazil, Semina Indústria e Comércio Ltda has placed orders for 15 million FC2 Female Condoms.

http://femalehealth.com/press-release/?releaseid=2083185

GOVX 8K out on Zika virus vaccine collaboration with the University of Georgia
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=70251771

$GOVX DD

GeoVax’s Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Farshad Guirakhoo, PhD, will lead the company’s effort in developing a Zika virus vaccine. Dr. Guirakhoo played pivotal roles in the development and licensure of human vaccines against Flaviviruses including dengue and Japanese encephalitis. His extensive experience and expertise with Flavivirus vaccine development gives the company an advantage over competitors and will shorten the time until a Zika vaccine can be brought to market by GeoVax and its partners.



Dr. Guirakhoo stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a Zika vaccine. We will draw on lessons learned on the decades-long path to a successful dengue vaccine and develop a vaccine against Zika in the shortest time possible.”



https://hstalks.com/t/3056/replication-competent-viral-vectors/?biosci