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Science
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Next Pharmaceuticals is a uniquely balanced science and marketing company that
develops patented natural ingredients that are licensed primarily to companies with
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successful consumer brands in the nutritional supplement, functional food and
beverage industries. Next has or controls three core competency areas:
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- Science-based new patented product development
- Manufacturing and raw material sourcing
- Public relations in support of our customers' branded products
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Next's R&D program is managed by the Medical Director, the Chairman of the
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Scientific Advisory Board, and the CEO.
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Medical Director
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Marvin Brown, MD
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Marvin Brown, MD, has over twenty-five years of comprehensive experience as an academic
physician and scientist and fifteen years of success as a Founder, President, CEO,
Chairman and Director of technology-based companies. Dr. Brown was Co-founder, President,
CEO and Chairman of Alanex Corporation, a biotechnology
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company sold to Agouron Pharmaceuticals in 1997. Prior to co-founding Alanex he was Professor of Medicine and
Surgery, and Associate Director Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California,
San Diego, and was an Associate Professor at the Salk Institute Peptide Biology
Laboratory.
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Scientific Advisory Board Chairman
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Walter G. Chambliss, Ph.D.
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Walter G. Chambliss, Ph.D. is Professor of Pharmaceutics and Associate Director in the
National Center for Natural Products Research in the School of Pharmacy of the University
of Mississippi. Dr. Chambliss worked for 16 years in research and development in the
pharmaceutical industry
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at G.D. Searle, Bristol-Myers and Schering-Plough where he was Vice President of R&D for
the HealthCare Products Division. His research focus is on the physical chemical
characterization of drug candidates from multicomponent botanicals.
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Next's Product Development Program; Literature & Pharmacology
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Worldwide Literature Search
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Once we have selected the therapeutic area for product development, we conduct a
worldwide search of the literature for plants that have the desired pharmacological
activity. This review process is complicated and extensive due to the enormous amount of
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literature on plants used in traditional medicine throughout the world. In addition to
English, a great deal of the literature is written in Chinese and Japanese. Next has
consulting scientists trained in China and Japan who are fluent in these languages.
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Literature Evaluation
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The literature is evaluated in terms of stated results, method of preparation, chemical
compounds in each botanical and the structure-activity relationship between the reported
pharmacological activity and the chemical compounds present. Next focuses on plants that
have known pharmacological properties, but that are not currently utilized in the
mainstream American and European markets.
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Additionally, Next seeks plants that have
compounds that are known to induce the pharmacological activity but have not been
reported for the targeted therapeutic area. Using our in-depth knowledge of
phytochemistry, pharmacology, bioavailability, toxicology and chemistry, the list of
identified plants is narrowed to a manageable number.
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Commercial Viability
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These botanicals are then evaluated in terms of their commercial viability. This
includes estimates of raw material cost, availability, number of sources, estimated
extraction yield and growing requirements.
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This in-depth analysis allows Next to select
a small number of plants to perform chemical studies, extraction and pharmacological
screening.
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Pharmacology
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Once the plants have been selected, different extracts of the plants are produced and
tested in appropriate assays and animal studies in order to determine which extract or
fraction of the plant is most likely to produce the desired benefits in humans.
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Prior to introducing a plant extract in humans, the extensive literature search mentioned earlier
is coupled with appropriate toxicology studies to assure that the particular plant
fraction is safe for human consumption.
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Next's Product Development Program; Human Studies
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Trial Strategy
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Next conducts human trials on all of its proprietary plant extracts except those targeted
for the veterinarian market only. The purpose of the trials is to demonstrate safety and
efficacy while providing the necessary support for sales and marketing. The range and
type of trials vary by ingredient, therapeutic area, and desired marketing claim.
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Human trials are out-sourced to well-known contract research organizations. Next's Scientific
Advisory Board plays a key role in the timely completion of short-term trials in many
therapeutic areas. The two primary types of human trials Next conducts are open trials
and blinded trials.
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Open Trials
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Open trials, such as in-home-use-trials (IHUT), are for determining efficacy in real life
situations and for marketing purposes to support advertising claims and satisfy FTC
requirements. If a product fails in an IHUT it is unlikely to be
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successful in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. These types of open studies are
also useful when the desired marketing claim would be difficult to obtain from a
small-blinded trial.
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Blinded Trials
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Blinded trials are the ultimate clinical trial when conducted with placebo controls.
Ideally, Next partners with its marketing partner on clinical
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trials so that the final consumer product is backed by the trial, not just Next's
patented ingredient.
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