ems .. a great opportunity right now !!

Apologies to all longtermers who probably already know all of this .. but as a new holder myself and in the interests of new and prospective holders I want to try and present why i speculated/invested in this company in the first place and try and counter some of the wild musings i've seen on here in the last few hours ... IMO the sky is not falling folks ...

From the last couple of EMS updates ...

19 Aug 2009
As you are aware, Eastland® has recently completed a major capital raising which successfully raised $5.9 million before costs.
This has allowed Eastland® to commence planning for the ArTiMisT Phase III clinical Field Trial, to pay down debt and provide sufficient working capital for the Group.

ArTiMist
The success of our capital raising has allowed the Company to meet recently with ProtoPharma Ltd in Norwich UK and initiate the planning and scheduling of the Clinical Field Trial in Africa, as one of the final steps to commercialise our pharmaceutical product ArTiMist.
Mr Calvin Ross, R&D director from ProtoPharma Ltd which is the exclusive Development Consultants for Eastland® has advised that OnQ Consulting- a South African based Clinical Research Organisation- has been retained to conduct the Trial. OnQ were involved in the original ArTiMisT Phase 1 Multi Dose study that was successfully conducted in Johannesburg in 2007.
Commencing the week of 24th August 2009 Mr Ross together with OnQ will visit a number of clinical facilities in Africa. Should the sites visited be suitable for the ArTiMist Trial, Mr Ross will undertake Audits of the facilities as part of the pre trial preparations under ICH Guidelines.
Following the site visits application will be made to conduct the trials in the approved clinic settings. On receipt of approval

17 Sep 2009
Eastland Medical Systems Ltd (ASX:EMS) is pleased to advise that during the week commencing 24 August 2009 Mr. Calvin Ross, R&D director of ProtoPharma Ltd and OnQ Consulting, a South African based Clinical Research Organisation, attended a series of clinical site meetings in Africa. The outcome of the meetings was successful and clinical facilities were audited as part of the pre-trial preparations under ICH Guidelines. Investigators at the facilities are now organising, via the trial Sponsor (ProtoPharma Ltd), submission of the agreed trial
Protocols for the earliest possible commencement of the Clinical Trial.
A further announcement [this is what we are all currently waiting for] will be made regarding the dates for commencement of the trial and first dosing once approval is received.

Now my take on the fundamental reasons why this will succeed ...
And finally from previous releases i've ferreted out this which explains it better than anything else I've read so far ...

With comprehensive patent protection over ArTiMist, and a licensing deal giving the company exclusive distribution rights in Africa, Asia, India and the Pacific where 97% of all malaria cases occur Eastland has the potential to be at the heart of the global fight against malaria for many years. In addition, the company’s formulation of the drug is able to treat infants under two years of age, a demographic not currently covered by existing drugs.

And unlike potential competitors, the product is nearly ready for release.

Because Artemether is already a well recognised and accepted treatment, Eastland’s pathway to market is relatively clear, needing only to show that the delivery platform works. The company recently completed the single dose study in Malaysia and has just announced the start of a multi dose study in South Africa. Both of these studies form the basis for the Phase 1 safety trials on ArTiMist.

Calvin Ross says he is very pleased with the results from the Malaysia study.

"The results of the clinical trial recently completed in Penang have indicated that the new delivery method and formulation is well tolerated and showed no adverse reactions", he said.
"The drug will move directly to Phase 3 field trials by mid-2008 and is on track to be on market by the third quarter of 2008." [Note: this didn't happen in the timeframe supplied however it is on track to begin NOW ie: any tick of the clock]

German manufacturing partner HC Berlin Pharma AG, which Eastland holds a significant investment in, has already drawn up plans for a $14 million manufacturing plant in Potsdam, East Berlin, and the company has already moved on marketing channels, initiating discussions with German government subsidiary GTZ about incorporating the drug into the German and International action plans on malaria. [ Note: this has now changed to the following EVEN BETTER outcome ... "The initial supply of up to 10 million ArTiMistTM units per year will be manufactured in the UK. The suppliers operate GMP pharmaceutical licensed facilities in the United Kingdom. They form part of the supply agreement with ProtoPharma Ltd in accordance with ProtoPharma’s contractual obligations with Eastland®.
Manufacturing ArTiMistTM within the UK is a temporary measure whilst HC Berlin Pharma AG (HCBPAG) obtains the relevant approval licences and undertakes the commissioning of their mass production facility. HCBPAG acquired the exclusive manufacturing rights for ArTiMistTM. The company will also manufacture NiCoSorbTM on behalf of Eastland®.
Eastland® holds a significant interest in HCBPAG which is based in Potsdam, Germany and is a listed entity on the Open Market Board of the Frankfurt Exchange. HCBPAG’s new production facility is due for completion during late 2010 after obtaining public subsidies from the Federal State of Brandenburg."

Eastland chief executive Dermot Patterson said he expects the drug to begin delivering revenue almost immediately.

"If all goes according to plan we’re projecting that ArTiMist will generate revenues of around $21M in its second year of production and up to $85M by year 4 of production",he said.Ultimately, ArTiMist could generate ‘peak sales’ in excess of $250 million.

It’s a big shift for a company that originally listed to commercialise a safety syringe, but Patterson said the project help Eastland progress to a much higher corporate platform.

"With our existing networks and contacts in Africa, along with our manufacturing connections in Germany, we’re ideally situated to take advantage of the opportunity. This kind of deal doesn’t come along every day, and it’s a company maker", he said.

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Apologies again if this is longwinded, boring or old hat to anyone ... my two bucks worth.