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First Health Pharmaceuticals congratulates NMAC on the 2019 USCA and Paul Kawata’s 30th anniversary as Executive Director

First Health Pharmaceuticals congratulates National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) on a successful 2019 US Conference on AIDS (USCA). The USCA has historically served as the premier national conference that facilitates the intersections of community involvement and the federal treatment and research process, bringing together representatives focused on policy development, science and advocacy from around the United States.

 

First Health recognizes the importance of NMAC and the USCA and congratulates Paul Kawata on his 30th year as Executive Director of NMAC. The 2019 USCA was a critical event for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector to ensure that community concerns influencing research on developing treatments and cure strategies for HIV are given priority,” stated Jan Willem Bakker, CEO of First Health Pharmaceuticals.

 

We remain committed to the development of DDX3 inhibitors and advancing our technology in partnership with recognized community leadership, to ensure inclusion of diverse patient populations in our clinical studies, access to our emerging therapeutic platform and support for essential services and advocacy through the First Health UNITED Foundation”.

 

First Health Pharmaceuticals is proud to have participated in the 2019 USCA, assist in the scholarship of community participants at the conference and hopes to expand our involvement in the 2020 USCA.

 

Articles on First Health’s Translation Inhibitor DDX3 and its potential as a component of a shock and kill strategy has been highlighted in A&U Magazine’s Destination: Cure ‘Translation Inhibitors as Therapeutic Strategy’ as well as in Plus Magazine in an article entitled “Dear Researchers: Fewer Side Effects Please”.

 

DDX3 represents a unique therapeutic target for HIV treatment, as well as a promising avenue as a cure strategy component,” commented HIV treatment activist and advocate Chad S. Johnson, Esq. “First Health Pharmaceuticals has demonstrated its strong commitment to the continuation of its research in HIV as well as its support for those infected and affected by HIV worldwide through its innovative Foundation.

 

About NMAC

NMAC was founded in 1987 and remains a leading force as a voice for minorities vulnerable to and living with HIV. NMAC is a U.S. national leader in HIV treatment education and policy advocacy and represents over 3,000 community- and faith-based organizations through out the United States. NMAC’s mission is to fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. They provide trainings, education activities and programming to people living with or at risk for HIV, community based organizations and health care facilities. NMAC maintains a strong focus on biomedical prevention such as PrEP and treatment as prevention (TAsP), effective treatment options, cure advocacy, and healthcare access and engagement activities in communities of color.

 

About the 2019 USCA

NMAC is the organizer of the annual US Conference on AIDS (USCA) taking place on September 5- 8 in Washington DC. USCA is a gathering of health departments, community-based organizations, People living with HIV, representatives of Key populations , national organizations, health centers, health care providers, donors, activists, and federal leaders.

 

About DDX3

DDX3 RNA Helicase inhibiting Translation Inhibitor class of compounds do not target viral proteins but temporarily inhibit an enzyme of our own RNA cell biology that is of vital importance for the virus during its reproduction cycle. As such the virus finds itself in an impossible situation in which mutating its own viral proteins is no longer helpful in escaping from the drug effect; thus no, or less drug-resistant strains are selected and expanded, and all the HIV strains, including the ART-resistant ones, are sensitive to the DDX3 inhibitors. Furthermore, the non-infected cells are not particularly affected by the selective inhibition of one of their own helicase enzymes as they can rely on different pathways for their functionality. This is confirmed by the almost absent cytotoxic effects of our compounds both in vitro and in vivo; on this basis, a low systemic toxicity is expected even for long term treatments.

 

About First Health Pharmaceuticals

First Health Pharmaceuticals B.V. is s a biotech company based in Amsterdam, the Netherland with offices and research facilities in Italy, Germany and India. First Health maintains a large portfolio of small molecule DDX3 Helicase inhibitors, for use both as antivirals and anti tumor agents and has developed highly active and patented antivirals against HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), Dengue, Zika and Ebola. The company has been equally successful with its extensive oncology pipeline, developing patented compounds active against some of the most challenging types of cancers including Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Hepatomas and Glioblastoma.

First Health Pharmaceuticals sustains several collaborations including the Academic Medical Center of Amsterdam, Erasmus Medical Center of the University of Rotterdam, the University of Milan and the Italian National Research Centre CNR.

 

For Media Relations please contact: morava@firsthealthunited.org

 

For all other inquiries please contact: info@firsthealthpharma.com