Loading ...Copper Test Cards Permit Individuals to Easily Measure and “See” the Levels of Copper in their Home Tap Water
Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 21, 2009 — Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: AEN), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the awareness, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of zinc deficiency and chronic copper toxicity in the mature population, today announced that for World Alzheimer’s Day it is providing 10,000 tap water copper test cards free of any charge. The test cards allow individuals to easily measure copper in drinking water with high sensitivity and, in effect, “see” copper levels in their own tap water.
Every year on 21st of September, Alzheimer’s disease associations across the globe join to recognize World Alzheimer’s Day. The theme for this year is “Diagnosing Dementia: See it Sooner” with the aim of promoting awareness of the importance of diagnosing dementia earlier and encouraging medical professionals to recognize the signs of the disease sooner.
Chronic exposure to copper from drinking water has been shown to promote Alzheimer’s-like pathology and memory deficits in animals at less than 1/10th of the current E.P.A. limit of 1.3 mg/L.1,2,3,4 In a study involving over 3,700 residents of Chicago over age 65, copper intake was linked to increased rates of cognitive decline.5 Copper plumbing is used in approximately 90% of homes in the U.S. and thus 90% of the adult U.S. population is at risk for the health effects of chronic soluble copper exposure.
According to a survey conducted between 1998 and 2003, the tap water of an estimated 4.4 million people in the U.S. contained levels of copper exceeding the E.P.A. limit.6 To Adeona’s knowledge, no formal chronic animal toxicology study of the effects of copper in drinking water has ever been conducted.7 Adeona has recently completed the first international epidemiological study finding a correlation between copper plumbing tube use and the prevalence rate of Alzheimer’s disease by country and intends to publish such findings.
Individuals can obtain a free tap water copper test card by visiting www.copperproof.com free of any shipping and handling charges for a limited time. The remainder of the 10,000 copper test cards will be made available free of charge through neurologists and physicians that regularly see patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Unlike most commercially available copper test kits, the tap water copper test card developed by Adeona and offered through Adeona’s HealthMine subsidiary is an at-home test that combines high sensitivity with ease of use.
On July 9, 2009 Adeona completed the acquisition of Hartlab LLC a CLIA-certified clinical reference laboratory located in Bolingbrook, Illinois. On July 15, 2009, Adeona presented the results of the CopperProof Study, a prospective observational study comparing serum parameters of copper and zinc status in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and normal subjects, at the 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD) in Vienna, Austria.
This study showed a strong correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and impaired serum copper binding (p = 0.00008) as well as an elevated percentage of free (non-ceruloplasmin bound) serum copper levels in AD patients (p = 0.045). The study also reported, for the first time, clinical and subclinical zinc deficiency in AD patients. Through its HartLab subsidiary, Adeona is preparing to launch a diagnostic test panel that is intended to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the metabolic serum copper and zinc status of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Adeona believes that defects in copper metabolism and elevated levels of serum free copper (non-ceruloplasmin bound) predisposes certain persons to enhanced susceptibility to the neurotoxic effects of copper, which include the aggregation and reduced clearance of oxidative copper-containing beta amyloid plaques and tangles, the hallmark brain pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.8 Max Lyon, Adeona’s CEO, stated, “Mounting scientific evidence continues to implicate chronic soluble copper exposure, such as that found in the tap water of homes that utilize copper plumbing, in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
By utilizing the copper test cards that we are offering for free today, we hope to increase awareness and allow mature adults to see and evaluate the potential threat that copper in their tap water poses and, through preventive measures, modify this increasingly recognized risk factor of disease progression.”
About Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX:AEN – News) is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the awareness, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of zinc deficiency and chronic copper toxicity in the mature population. Adeona believes that these conditions may contribute to the progression of debilitating degenerative diseases, including, Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Dry AMD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in susceptible persons.
Using Adeona’s proprietary, modified oral zinc delivery technologies, Adeona is preparing to initiate the first clinical trial of oral zinc therapy for the once-a-day dietary management of AD and MCI. Adeona is also developing a number of late-stage clinical drug candidates for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. For further information, please visit www.adeonapharma.com. • Sparks D. and Schreurs, B., Trace amounts of copper in water induce beta-amyloid plaques and learning deficits in a rabbit model of Alzheimer’s disease. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (2003) 100: 11065-11069. • Sparks DL, Friedland R, Petanceska S, Schreurs BG, Shi J, Perry G, Smith MA, Sharma A, Derosa S, Ziolkowski C, Stankovic G., Trace copper levels in the drinking water, but not zinc or aluminum influence CNS Alzheimer-like pathology, J Nutr Health Aging. (2006 Jul-Aug);10(4):247-54. • Deane R, Sagare A, Coma M, Parisi M, Gelein R, Singh I, Zlokovic B, A novel role for copper: Disruption of LRP-dependent brain A? clearance, Neuroscience 2007, Society for Neuroscience (Nov. 2007), Pres. 857.2 • Kitazawa M, Cheng D, Laferla FM., Chronic copper exposure exacerbates both amyloid and tau pathology and selectively dysregulates cdk5 in a mouse model of AD., J Neurochem. (Mar. 2009);108(6):1550-60. Epub 2009 Jan 22. • Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, et al., Dietary copper and high saturated and trans fat intakes associated with cognitive decline., Arch Neurol. (2006) 63: 1085-1088. • http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/contaminants/contaminant.php?contamcode=1022 • Committee on Copper in Drinking Water, Copper in Drinking Water, National Research Council, National Academy Press (2000). • Squitti R, Bressi F, Paswualetti P, Bonomini C, Ghidoni, R, Binetti G, Casetta E, Moffa F, Ventriglia M, Vernieri F, Rossini P., Longitudinal prognostic value of serum "free" copper in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Neurology, (Jan. 2009) 72: 50-55.
Ann Arbor, MI