Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation has received notice of issuance of a new US patent for a unique method and device for using saliva to determine cholesterol levels.

Elevated cholesterol is a well-known major risk factor for heart disease and has been implicated as a risk factor for such other diseases as stroke, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH recommends routine screening for elevated cholesterol levels. The cholesterol testing market in the US is estimated to be at over 200 million tests a year and is projected to rise as the baby boom generation ages.

"This patent complements our existing patent for the use of statins for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease and further establishes our proprietary position in a very large and medically important market," said Dr. Paul Averback, CEO of Nymox. "It also augments our existing diagnostic platform technology pipeline," he added.

Using its proprietary test technology, Nymox has developed two products for determining tobacco exposure or use, NicAlert and TobacAlert. The company also offers AlzheimAlert, a proprietary urine test designed to aid physicians in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, to physicians in the United States through its Clinical Reference Laboratory in Maywood, at a cost of $295.

Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation is a biotechnology company engaged in the research and development of therapeutics and diagnostics.