Orange chemical hailed as a treatment for AIDS
An Australian pharmaceutical company said on Tuesday a naturally occurring chemical extracted from oranges can be used to treat HIV/AIDS, influenza, SARS and the common cold.
Citrofresh International Ltd. said Europe’s Retroscreen Virology Laboratory had found its Citrofresh bioflavanoid compound to be effective against the HIV-1 virus, the human influenza A virus including Avian influenza or bird flu, the Urbani SARS virus and the human rhinovirus.
It did not say whether the results had been independently verified or whether they would be published.
Shares in the anti-virus treatment developer, with a market value of A$20 million ($15 million), more than tripled to A$0.70, prompting a trading halt in its shares as it prepared more information, expected to be released before the market opens on Thursday.
Bioflavonoids are a group of chemical compounds naturally found in certain fruits, vegetables, teas, wines, nuts, seeds, and roots with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, they are usually derived from citrus fruit rinds.
“Retroscreen Virology confirmed that Citrofresh exhibits significant (viricidal) activity against all four viruses tested,” the company said in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.
Citrofresh, which sells anti-bacterial products for the food industry, provided no details of the results of tests it commissioned from Retroscreen Virology.
Shares in Citrofresh, which could not be reached for comment, were off their highs at A$0.535, when the trading halt was imposed, still more than double its A$0.21 close on Monday.
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