NeoStem Announces Intellectual Property Expansion In Cardiovascular Disease

NEW YORK, March 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), a leader in the emerging cellular therapy industry, today announced that Amorcyte, LLC, its wholly owned subsidiary, received a Notice of Allowance of claims from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office for patent application 13/285,606 covering a method of treating a progressive myocardial injury caused by an ischemic condition and utilizing a multi-dosing regimen. Once granted, this will represent Amorcyte's fourth U.S. patent and sixth patent overall.

"These newly allowed claims further strengthen our broad IP in ischemia-induced cardiovascular disease," said Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., FACP, CPE, Chief Medical Officer of NeoStem. "One very important condition that these claims cover is use of AMR-001 for treating ischemia-induced congestive heart failure, a major unmet medical need afflicting 5.8 million patients in the United States alone (with an annual incidence of 660,000) and approximately 20 million patients worldwide. Traditionally, the majority of these people are labeled as "ischemic" in etiology, though recent reports from independent research suggest that perhaps all patients have ischemia as a driver of disease, either due to coronary artery disease or microvessel induced ischemia. We expect to file an IND in 2013 to assess the ability of AMR-001 to arrest the progression of CHF and prevent the associated comorbidities of that disease. Moreover, these claims cover cryopreservation of the AMR-001 product, facilitating global distribution if approved by appropriate regulatory agencies." 

The cost of cardiovascular disease in the United States continues to rise. As per the Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the total annual cost of caring for CHF in the United States is over $25 billion. "We believe cell therapy has the potential to improve clinical outcomes and lower overall health care costs. These newly allowed claims significantly bolster our ability to develop AMR-001 for additional indications and through new potential treatment protocols, including a multi-dose regimen," said Robin L. Smith, M.D., MBA, Chairman and CEO of NeoStem.

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