Genesis Pharma S.A.

Today, 370 biotechnology medicines are under clinical trials for 200 serious diseases.

Half of modern diseases (e.g. AIDS) are promised to be treated by biotechnology during the upcoming years, based on individual patient's genes, assuring greater success.

Biotechnology companies' income worldwide reached 18 billion dollars in 2001.

The income growth and a series of investments, led top biotechnology companies in their financial independence for clinical trials' completion, so that, today, 68% of biotechnology research and production is exclusively drawn by biotechnology companies.

The first outcome from recent laboratory researches, showed that more than 15 biotechnology medicines, which are based on DNA decoding, are about to be launched.

The customization of medicines in treatment, prediction and prevention of diseases will allow the doctor -of not such a distant future- to draw each patient's medication based on his genes.

According to GENESIS Pharma's CEO Mr. Constantinos Evripides "over 250 million people have already been helped from more than 130 biotechnology medicines and recombinant vaccines and more than 370 biotechnology medicines are under clinical trials from 144 biotechnology companies, for 200 diseases (various types of cancer, heart diseases, multiple sclerosis, AIDS etc)", adding that "although the cost of developing new medicines is exponentially growing, having exceeded 800 million dollars, the great challenge would be the easy and affordable access of patients in the new kind of treatments, with a logical cost compared to effectiveness."

According to Mr. Spyros Fotinos, Executive Vice President, Corporate Research and Innovation, of Lavipharm Group, "by researching the reasons behind the diseases and not the symptoms, it is logical to expect a recorded increase in biotechnology products and methods".

"Additionally, another sector to be asserted is the development of medicines for which we will know which population's part they are addressed to, so as to avoid any meaningless researching on which treatment suits each person."

"We gradually discover which of the disorders that create the diseases, can be "switched on and off" like a biological switch"

The professor of Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics of Cretan University, Mr. Haralambos Savvakis states that "the technology of plant cells, which is still in experimental phase, has enormous prospective and we are all anxious to see the results.
However, in this case, a series of serious problems will arise that will need to be solved. The first problem is of economic nature, as this is an expensive technology which is likely to finally benefit wealthy societies."

The President and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Mr. Nikolaos Manassakis underlined "The invention and development of new medicines is a long term process, so that all investment plans in research today, will affect nursing level and the total social prosperity in the future."