Aethlon Medical to initiate HIV trials in India

[Guest guest]

Aethlon Medical to initiate HIV trials in India

Tue Feb 8, 8:41 PM ET Local - San Diego Daily

Transcript

San Diego-based Aethlon Medical Inc. (OTCBB: AEMD -

news) announced Tuesday that it has retained Sunil

Sawhney and other regulatory advisors from Qualtran,

LLC to manage clinical studies to treat patients

infected with HIV the AIDS virus -- in India.

Aethlon said Sawhney was sought-out because of his

extensive background in overseeing clinical trials.

Sawhney is currently a principal for Qualtran -- a

clinical research organization focused on planning and

managing human clinical trials in India. He was

formerly the director of Boston Scientific India -- a

worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of

medical devices.

Aethlon CEO, A. Joyce, said operating in India

provides the company an opportunity to work with some

leaders in the Indian medical industry, providing a

path to obtaining early data for treating humans.

Joyce said Aethlon also has tremendous support from

organizations from within India to initiate these

studies, and that data will compliment the company's

efforts in the United States.

Joyce said the company is pioneering the development

of viral filtration devices -- such as its

HIV-Hemopurifier -- to treat HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis-C

(HCV), and pathogens that are mass casualty biological

warfare candidates.

" Our initial objective is to implement the technology

of our HIV-Hemopurifier in conjunction with current

drug therapy to extend and improve performance of drug

therapy, " Joyce said. " And at the same time we have an

opportunity to treat those patients who are drug

resistant, and inevitably most people infected with

HIV become drug resistant and are left without

treatment options. So there's a significant market

opportunity. "

According to the Gates Foundation -- which builds upon

opportunities of the 21st century to improve equity in

global health and learning -- 5.1 million individuals

in India were infected with HIV in 2004, a ten-fold

increase over the last decade. It is projected that

the number of HIV-infected citizens in India could

increase to 20 million to 25 million by 2010.

Although the company will initially be conducting its

clinical studies for HIV and Hepatitis C in India,

Joyce said he envisions having multiple programs in

other locations around the world, in addition to its

U.S. base.

Joyce said there is currently a " harmonization "

between U.S. and Indian protocols regarding clinical

trials. " We intend to manage our programs in India

under similar, if not the same, protocols we use here

in the U.S. That way we can actually use some of our

data that we obtain in India as part of our U.S.

effort, " Joyce said.

Joyce said a good deal of data that will be obtained

in India should compliment the company's biological

weapons counter-measure efforts, which they are

working on in cooperation with the National Center for

BioDefense at Mason University in Manassas, Va.

Joyce said there are stock-piling requirements by the

federal government once products are approved, which

could bring significant income in the short-term.

However, there may be more money in treating chronic

diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis-C in the long-term.

Aethlon shares closed at 40 cents, up 5 cents, or

14.29 percent, during regular trading on Tuesday.

http://www.sddt.com/

_____________________

greetings

Phi Huynhdo

E-mail: <huynhdophi@...>