Rexall Sundown Introduces Dietary Supplements for Treatment of Alzheimer's

At Experimental Biology 99 last week in Washington, DC, Rexall Sundown Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) introduced two dietary supplements formulated with PTI-00703, a natural plant derivative that inhibits the formation and growth of brain beta-amyloid deposits. The proprietary supplements, Neurosharp and CognoBlend, are marketed under the company's Sundown brand at retail and through its direct selling division, Rexall Showcase International, respectively.

PTI-00703 is a proprietary plant derivative exclusively licensed worldwide to Rexall Sundown in the dietary supplement field of use by ProteoTech Inc., a Redmond, WA-based biotechnology company. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded ProteoTech a substantial grant to further study PTI- 00703 and its role in the prevention and treatment of amyloid protein deposits present in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Rexall Sundown also announced plans with ProteoTech to fund and conduct a multi-center human clinical trial testing PTI-00703 in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Comprehensive in vitro testing has shown that PTI-00703 acts as a potent inhibitor of brain beta-amyloid protein fibril formation and growth and disrupts amyloid deposits, which are believed to play a role in Alzheimer's disease. Initial animal studies also demonstrate that PTI-00703 inhibits the deposition of beta-amyloid protein deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Rexall Sundown makes herbal supplements, homeopathic remedies, personal care goods, and weight control products, as well as multivitamin formulas, individual vitamins, and mineral products.

For more information: Debbie DeSantis, VP of Product Development, Rexall Sundown Inc., 6111 Broken Sound Pkwy. NW, Boca Raton, FL 33487. Tel: 561-241-9400. Fax: 561-995-0197.