A San Diego-based company, MultiCell develops first-in-class drugs based on advanced immune system modulation technologies. Stock in the company rose 1 cent in morning to 18 cents a share.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and destroy the myelin sheath protecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord. About two million people worldwide are afflicted with MS, and an estimated 10,000 new MS cases are diagnosed yearly in the USA, according to MultiCell. Over 75 percent of MS sufferers report chronic fatigue, and 50 percent to 60 percent report chronic fatigue as the worst symptom of their disease. Chronic fatigue severely affects an individual's quality of life. In approximately 30 percent of MS patients, chronic fatigue is the first symptom, and there is no FDA-approved treatment available for this disease.

In a 138-patient, multi-center, double-blind placebo controlled Phase II clinical trial conducted in the UK by Amarin, MCT-125 (then known as LAX-202) demonstrated efficacy in significantly reducing the levels of fatigue in MS patients enrolled in the study, according to MultiCell. MCT-125 demonstrated effectiveness within four weeks of the first daily oral dosing, and showed efficacy in all MS patient sub-populations including relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive and primary progressive, the company reported. Patients enrolled in the Phase II trial conducted by Amarin also reported few if any side effects following daily oral dosing of MCT-125.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with an outstanding company like Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals Italy, and look forward to a long-term relationship. This contract is enabling, and helps us advance MCT-125 toward commencement of our planned Phase IIb human clinical trials," stated Dr. Stephen Chang, President and CEO of MultiCell Technologies.

Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals Italy S.p.A. is an FDA-inspected manufacturer of proprietary APIs and cGMP intermediates for the pharmaceutical, veterinary, and life science industries. Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals Italy offers contract manufacturing services to many large multinational pharmaceutical companies.

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