GHP February 2017

10 GHP / February 2017 , Examples of innovation and stellar performance We are intrigued by our clinical results for the immunotherapy of obesity: Mucosal interleukin-2 application in patients leads to a natural modification of appetite to a preference for a (low calorie) healthy type of food. High calorie food becomes unattractive. This results – without any particular diet or behaviour control - in a median weight reduction of 3.7 kg in 12 weeks. Most important, is that the more obese a patient is, the higher the weight loss, with a maximum of 15 kg (125 kg to 110 kg) observed. Another interesting observation was that patients lost interest in nicotine with inhalation of interleukin-2. These patients stopped craving cigarettes, with the added benefit that they did not put on weight. We are also overwhelmed by the eradication of lung metastases by inhalation of interleukin-2: The first patient to be treated with inhalation interleukin-2 was a 40-year-old man presenting with significant breathing difficulties caused by a multitude of huge lung metastases. He was unable to speak without breathing problems. He received inhalation interleukin-2 under my personal supervision and within 9 months the vast majority of his metastases had disappeared, and some remaining small residuals finally were successfully removed surgically. His lung became free of disease and he never suffered from lung metastases again. Immunservice has the most extensive experience worldwide in use of interleukin-2 for inhalation to prevent suffocation in patients with lung metastases. Huland in 1990 was the first to introduce local interleukin-2 administration by aerosol and has optimised this therapy since then continually. Currently, we have documented treatment in several hundred patients. Interleukin-2, an endogenous immune hormone, enables your immune system to cure cancer, conquers viral diseases, stops allergies, rejuvenates the immune system, eliminates aggressive papillomavirus tumours, melts away excess pounds, makes nicotine addiction vanish and much more. Since I started working with interleukin-2 more than 30 years ago, it has never ceased to amaze me. The role of the employees The team here are crucial for the success of our company. Our daily work requires highly specialised employees who are fascinated by research and are not deterred by setbacks. Everybody is involved in the science, and learning is extremely important to the staff of our company, and we have been very successful with this approach. As we work in a highly- specialised field, the company’s success depends strongly on the knowledge and skills of our staff and we are very lucky to have assembled highly motivated, well-educated and very stress resistant experts in their specific fields in this company. We also have a loyal crew of external advisors who have accompanied us for years with outstanding expertise. Nothing would be possible without the team! Recent breakthroughs Recent breakthroughs have included the discovery and continuous development of new ways to cure cancer, viral diseases, obesity and nicotine addiction, as well as the provision of access to these therapies to patients will be the focus of Immunservice’s activities in the next few years. Our work so far gives us a very sound basis for achieving these goals successfully, and continuously developing and providing patients with access to these therapies will be the focus of Immunservice’s activities in the next few years.” Challenges in the future Unlike in the early years of our company when immunotherapy was a niche market, today immunotherapy is in the centre of interest of most if not all pharmaceutical companies. There are a rising number of approved immunotherapeutics, but even more in the pipelines there are immunotherapeutic drugs. Our experience and our products will add to the potential of the big players in the pharmaceutical sector. We will set our marks in terms of well-tolerated and affordable immune products in areas of high need in humans and animals. Immunotherapy currently has by no means been developed to its full potential; we will help to change this. In the not so distant future, we will be asking ourselves why it took so long to integrate highly needed curative immune therapies into current treatment protocols. In the sincere interest of patients in high need and in our own interest as potential future patients we clearly need to improve our procedures for establishing effective treatments faster. Finally, if we are looking for success, I am convinced that we will find the best resources by learning from the tricks of nature. Fig 1 X rays of the first patient ever treated with inhalation of interleukin-2: Above 2 X rays before therapy, below 2 X rays after 9 months of interleukin-2 inhalation therapy. This patient experienced a significant reduction of metastases and a significant improvement of quality of life. “Our clinically most advanced development, interleukin-2 for inhalation, covers cancer indications. It is used to treat patients with lung metastases of renal cell cancer or melanoma and has been shown in clinical trials to cure or at least prevent suffocation from these tumours.”