• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Island Recovery and Hawaii Clinical Research Center Become First Treatment Centers in Hawaii to Offer Hythiam's PROMETA(TM)

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 09:01 CST

Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM), a healthcare services management company that licenses the PROMETA physiological protocols designed to treat alcohol, methamphetamine and cocaine dependence, announced today that the PROMETA protocols have been licensed to Island Recovery Centers of Kailua, Hawaii. Patients will receive treatment at the Island Recovery Center in Kailua, and the Hawaii Clinical Research Center in Honolulu (HCRC).

The HCRC was established by Dr. Denis Mee-Lee in 1989 to conduct specialized research within the diverse ethnic population of Hawaii. HCRC's traditional research focus has been on central nervous system medications, completing over 100 studies on substance dependency and psychiatric disorders. Island Recovery Centers was formed by Dr. Mee-Lee, along with Dr. Dale Adams and Dr. Peter Rudlowski to offer state-of-the-art substance dependency treatment for residents of Hawaii and visitors from the Pacific Rim.

"Hawaii has never faced a more prevalent and problematic health issue than it does today as a result of pandemic crystal methamphetamine addiction," explains Dr. Mee-Lee. "The impact on our patients, health system, and social fabric is severe. Embracing innovative medical treatments for dependency allows our patients to benefit from significant medical advances and helps the entire treatment community to rededicate their efforts to continue waging the war against dependency. We have the rare opportunity to be pioneers in the treatment of substance addiction by exploring the possibilities of PROMETA."

"My discussions with Dr. Mee-Lee on the crystal methamphetamine addiction problem here in Hawaii have increased my interest in employing the latest tools for treating substance dependence," said Dr. Adams, Medical Director of Island Recovery Centers. "We are aware of frequently reported anxiety and cravings in patients attempting to initiate and maintain abstinence from drugs of addiction, suggesting that a medical approach is needed. We believe the PROMETA protocols will provide us with a treatment intervention to facilitate the entire recovery process."

State of Hawaii Lieutenant Governor James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr., who has led the Executive Branch's drug control policy and former Hawaii Drug Court judge, said, "We support Hythiam's efforts to bring the PROMETA protocols to Hawaii and are pleased to have new treatment options for patients struggling with substance dependence in Hawaii. We are watching the ongoing developments regarding this exciting new treatment option with great interest and hope."

"This newest licensee represents our initial entry into Hawaii, an area that while small in size, has a significant methamphetamine problem," said Terren S. Peizer, Chairman and CEO of Hythiam. "Licensing our protocols to Island Recovery Centers will raise the profile of PROMETA in the State and could help facilitate the adoption of the protocols in the State's health and judicial systems. With the State of Hawaii expressing interest in exploring our stimulant protocol for their escalating crystal meth crisis, having a licensee of this stature in the community will significantly enhance our ability to provide access to PROMETA for all in Hawaii who need it."

As the former Deputy Director of the Hawaii State Department of Health and founder of the Castle Medical Center's psychiatric unit, Dr. Mee-Lee is highly regarded for his work in addiction medicine. As former Chief of the State's Mental Health Division, he is often sought by government officials to provide counsel on the drug dependency crisis in Hawaii. He brings to IRC decades of health-related public policy involvement and direct treatment experience in addiction and psychiatric disorders.

Since the 1970's, methamphetamine has been a growing health crisis in Hawaii, reaching pandemic proportions in recent years. Crossing social and economic lines, methamphetamine is the state's most significant drug threat with cocaine and alcohol abuse rates closely behind. Hawaii has the highest per capita rate of methamphetamine abuse in the nation. Many experts blame Hawaii's crime rates, especially those related to property, on drug abuse.

About PROMETA

Hythiam's PROMETA(TM) treatment protocols are designed for use by healthcare providers seeking to treat individuals diagnosed with dependencies to alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamines, as well as combinations of these drugs. The PROMETA protocols include medically supervised procedures designed to address both the neurochemical imbalances in the brain and some of the nutritional deficits caused or worsened by substance dependence. Changes in brain chemistry and function play an important role in the physical and behavioral symptoms of substance dependence, including tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, craving and relapse. The PROMETA protocols also provide for one-month of prescription medication and nutritional supplements, combined with psychosocial or other recovery-oriented therapy chosen by the patient in conjunction with their treatment provider. As a result, PROMETA represents an innovative approach to managing alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine dependence that is designed to address physiological, nutritional and psychosocial aspects of the disease, and is thereby intended to offer patients an opportunity to achieve sustained recovery.

About Hythiam, Inc.

Hythiam(R) is a healthcare services management company, focused on delivering solutions for those suffering from alcoholism and other substance dependencies. Hythiam researches, develops, licenses and commercializes innovative physiological treatment protocols that seek to address substance dependence. Additionally, Hythiam provides proprietary administrative services to assist physicians and facilities with staff education, marketing and sales support, and outcomes tracking for data analysis. For further information, please click on www.hythiam.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history and lack of statistically significant formal research studies, the risk that treatment protocols might not be effective, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and substantial regulation in the healthcare industry; and additional risks factors as discussed in the reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on its website at http://www.sec.gov.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category