Biotech company AtheroNova Inc.has signed an agreement with Frontage Laboratories, Inc. to commence work on the formulation, compounding and tabletization of the company’s AHRO-001 product in advance of the upcoming phase I human clinical studies.

Frontage, based in Exton, Pennsylvania, is one of the leading pharmaceutical contract research organizations (CROs) in the United States. They will immediately commence work on the analysis, formulation and validation of the various processes and procedures for manufacturing AHRO-001 tablets.

“Frontage has been extremely diligent in dealing with the technical and physical requirements of our AHRO-001 compound and we look forward to commencing our project in the coming days,” said AtheroNova CEO Thomas W Gardner. “We are very confident that Frontage will deliver a quality product in a timely manner. We continue to adhere to our vigorous development path and anticipate additional exciting development milestones in the coming months.”

“We are pleased to be working with the fine people from Frontage on this project as we continue to engage with quality industry partners,” commented Dr. Balbir Brar, senior vice president of Drug Development. “Our utmost confidence stems from previous projects I have worked on with Frontage and have always found their people, facilities and product quality to be some of the best in the industry.”

Frontage CEO, Dr Song Li, also commented on the agreement, stating “It is an honor to work with AtheroNova on this vital clinical trial materials project. Frontage’s 10-year history of delivering pharmaceutical R&D services in a fast and efficient manner means the millions of patients suffering from atherosclerosis are that much closer to a potential cure.”

AHRO-001 is AtheroNova's first novel application for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic plaque is the primary, underlying cause of heart disease and stroke in industrialized countries. AHRO-001 uses certain pharmacological compounds to regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits through a process known as delipidization. Delipidization dissolves plaques in artery walls, which are then removed by natural body processes. AtheroNova plans to develop multiple applications for its patents-pending compounds that can be used in pharmaceutical-grade products for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis and related pharmaceutical costs run more than $41 billion annually in the United States alone.

Market sectors potentially served by AHRO-001 include: cardiovascular disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s and Erectile Dysfunction, all of which have been linked to atherosclerosis.

AtheroNova Inc. is focussed on compounds to reduce or regress atherosclerotic plaque deposits addresses the most lucrative segments of the multi-billion dollar prescription drug market: cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention.

Frontage Laboratories, Inc. is a global contract research, development and manufacturing organization, offering a full range of pharmaceutical R&D services.