Australia Issues Hythiam Patent on Treatment of Alcoholism
Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM), announced today that the Australian Intellectual Property government agency — IP Australia, has informed Hythiam that it has issued patent no. 2002226427 for the use of a composition of matter for the treatment of alcoholism. The patent will serve to enhance protection of the intellectual property underlying the company’s PROMETA Protocol for alcohol dependence. Hythiam has already been issued an Australian patent for its cocaine dependence treatment.
Hythiam continues to file new intellectual property worldwide, and to date has received notifications of allowance or grants of patents for inventions underlying its PROMETA® protocols from over 25 countries including the U.S. and 19 European nations. In addition to the Australian grant, patents underlying Hythiam’s protocol for alcohol dependence have already been issued or allowed in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore, New Zealand, and South Africa.
“Our intellectual property position continues to grow stronger on a global basis,” said Terren Peizer, Chairman and CEO of Hythiam. “We believe that shareholder value will substantially increase when there is a realization that we are simultaneously building a portfolio of assets and a formidable barrier to entry. Most of our patents have been filed in the past several years, and as such they have the benefit of up to 20 years of legal protection from the date of filing. Every single confirmatory pilot and double-blind placebo controlled outcome concerning our protocols will only serve to emphasize the value of this estate. Furthermore, recent in vitro and in vivo studies recently published in the Journal of Neurochemistry by researchers at the University of Cagliari in Italy, and presented at scientific conferences by Dr. Sheryl Smith of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, have begun to provide supporting data for our next generation of filed patents, those that are focused on specifics of GABA dysregulation and its reversal.”
About PROMETA®
Hythiam’s PROMETA® treatment protocols are designed for use by healthcare providers seeking to treat individuals diagnosed with dependencies to alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine, as well as combinations of these drugs. The PROMETA treatment protocols comprise nutritional supplements, FDA-approved oral and IV medications used off-label and separately administered in a unique dosing algorithm, as well as psychosocial or other recovery-oriented therapy chosen by the patient and his or her 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. To learn more, please visit www.prometainfo.com.
About Hythiam, Inc.
Integrating both medical and psychosocial treatment modalities, Hythiam, Inc. provides comprehensive behavioral health management services to health plans, employers, criminal justice, and government agencies. With a focus on using the latest medical and health technology towards improved outcomes and out-patient treatment, the company manages all behavioral health disorders. The company also researches, develops, licenses and commercializes innovative and proprietary physiological, nutritional, and behavioral treatment protocols. Hythiam currently offers initial disease management offerings for substance dependence built around its proprietary PROMETA treatment protocols for alcoholism and dependence to stimulants. The PROMETA treatment protocols, which integrate behavioral, nutritional, and medical components, are available through licensed treatment providers. For further information, please visit 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.