The Quigley Corporation announced that the Patent Office of The United States Commerce Department has confirmed the Company's filing and assignment of a Patent Application for the "Method and Composition for the Topical Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy."

Guy J. Quigley, president, chairman and chief executive officer, stated, "Consistent with our strategy to market all-natural products, the ingredients of our new formulation for relief of diabetes-related pain are all GRAS listed (Generally Regarded As Safe) as identified in the Code of Federal Regulations. "Given the potential importance of an effective topical treatment of diabetic neuropathy, we are immediately taking the necessary actions to meet all Federal Food and Drug Administration legal and procedural obligations. Our objective is to register this product for approval as a prescription drug, thus avoiding any possible misuse or self-diagnosis."

In data compiled from 1995 to 1998, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reported that diabetes afflicts 15.7 million people in the United States (5.9 percent of the population) and that 798,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The data also found that 60 to 70 percent of diabetics suffer mild to severe forms of nervous system damage and resultant pain.

The Quigley Corporation is a leading marketer and developer of diversified natural health and homeopathic products including Cold-Eeze, proven in two double blind studies to reduce the duration and severity of common cold symptoms.