US Patent Office Issues Patent for Stable S-adenosyl-l-methionine Salts.

Seattle, WA March 22, 2004--The USPTO has issued a composition of matter patent number 6,635,615 entitled "Stable salts of S-adenosyl-l-methionine" to Rolland Hebert. The patent, issued on October 21, 2003, discloses novel, more stable compositions of S-adenosylmethionine (also known as SAM-e). SAM-e, an important molecule responsible for transulfuration and transmethylation reactions, has been shown in phase II clinical trials to be safe and effective for the treatment of depression.

Protocols for definitive phase III clinical trials using the new SAM-e salts disclosed by the issued patent are currently being developed. In earlier trials, SAM-e has been shown to have a rapid antidepressant onset and to be devoid of the usual side effects such as sexual dysfunction and weight gain, common complaints of conventional antidepressants such as the SSRIs. If phase III clinical trials are successful, this new SAM-e salt would be the first drug in a new class of non-SSRI antidepressants to be introduced in the US.

It is estimated that, in any one-year period, 9.5% of the population, or about 19 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. The economic cost is estimated at $30.4 billion a year. The US pharmaceutical market revenue projections for 2006 will top $14 billion by 2006.

Many Americans continue to suffer from depression due to lack of diagnosis, unresponsiveness to current drugs or to side effects of these drugs. If approved by the FDA, the new SAM-e salt disclosed in the issued patent would be a major contribution to the treatment of depression. Despite advances in the therapy of depression, as many as 30-40% of patients with major depression are unresponsive to treatment with current drugs. The new SAM-e salt is non-toxic, does not cause sexual dysfunction and does not result in weight gain.

The salts of SAM-e disclosed in the patent are available for licensing and inquiries regarding co-development opportunities for the treatment of depression are invited.

For additional information contact:
Rolland Hebert
427 Bellevue Ave E.
Suite 301
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: 425.869.2500




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