AMBI To Receive Patent for New Use of a Form of Calcium; "Calcium Taurate" Can Be Used as Nutritional Supplement to Help Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure and Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 22, 2000 AMBI AMBI Associação Médica Brasileira Iridologia Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBI) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance on an application filed by the company for a new use of calcium taurate to help people on antihypertensive antihypertensive /an·ti·hy·per·ten·sive/ (-ten´siv) counteracting high blood pressure, or an agent that does this. an·ti·hy·per·ten·sive adj. Reducing high blood pressure. n. medications maintain healthy blood pressure levels. The patent covers the oral administration of calcium taurate with widely used antihypertensive drugs Antihypertensive Drugs Definition Antihypertensive drugs are medicines that help lower blood pressure. Purpose The overall class of antihypertensive agents lowers blood pressure, although the mechanisms of action vary greatly. . This proprietary use of calcium and taurine taurine /tau·rine/ (taw´ren) an oxidized sulfur-containing amine occurring conjugated in the bile, usually as cholyltaurine or chenodeoxycholyltaurine; it may also be a central nervous system neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. (an amino acid amino acid (əmē`nō), any one of a class of simple organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and in certain cases sulfur. These compounds are the building blocks of proteins. ) represents a completely new approach to calcium supplementation calcium supplementation Metabolism The addition of Ca2+ to the diet, usually in the form of calcium carbonate . Additional patents are pending for other uses of calcium taurate. Fredric D. Price, AMBI's president and chief executive officer, said, "We believe that calcium taurate can play an important role for people concerned with calcium supplementation in general and for those individuals who are on antihypertensive medications. We are developing new nutritional products that incorporate calcium taurate and expect to have a product on the market within a year." The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (published by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in 1997) recognized the importance of adequate intake of calcium and listed this as one of the necessary lifestyle modifications for the prevention and management of hypertension. Today, calcium is most closely associated with the maintenance of bone density. There have been numerous studies showing the beneficial effects of calcium on bone mass, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) has approved the health claim that adequate calcium intake is linked to reduced risk of osteoporosis. More recent studies have also demonstrated calcium's antihypertensive effects and its role in nerve, muscle and hormone function. Although the body's need for calcium is undisputed, many adults consume only one-half or less of their daily calcium requirement, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is an American voluntary health organization dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C.. . Further, while there are a number of calcium supplements on the market, they require an acidic environment in the stomach to be effectively absorbed by the body. As people age, they produce less stomach acid, which limits the usefulness of current products. The company believes that calcium taurate will be better absorbed under these conditions. The calcium taurate patent will represent the 19th U.S. patent that AMBI will hold for nutrition products. AMBI develops and markets proprietary nutrition products. |
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