NEW CLINICAL DATA ON MERIVA^® SHOW EYE INFLAMMATIONS REDUCTION
Meriva^®, a patented complex of curcumin with soy phosphatidylcholine,
has been shown to help reduce frequency and severity of relapses in patients with recurrent anterior uveitis. 

Milan, October 20th, 2010 - A new clinical study published in Clinical Ophthalmology¹ shows that Meriva^®, an Indena proprietary complex of curcumin with soy phosphatidylcholine, can play an important role in the adjunctive therapy of recurrent anterior uveitis (RAU), the most common form of uveitis. 
Uveitis is an inflammation involving the interior of the eye that in some cases can lead to blindness. RAU - also termed iritis - symptoms are pain, redness, photophobia, and, to a variable degree, decreased vision. 

To evaluate a possible beneficial role of Meriva^® for the adjunctive therapy of RAU, 2 tablets of Norflo^® (Eye Pharma Co, Italy) containing 600mg of Meriva^® each were administered for 12 months to 122 patients diagnosed with RAU for at least two years before the beginning of the trial, and during which they had suffered 1-4 relapses/year. Within the 106 patients who completed the study, only 19 (18%) had relapses. An improvement in symptoms including ocular pain and blurring of vision was also observed, and 86% of patients reported a subjective systemic well-being, progressively developed after 4-6 weeks of treatment. Moreover, the study showed that Meriva^® was well tolerated, since 90% of the patients enrolled completed the one year follow up.
 
Commenting on the results of the study Prof. Giovanni Appendino, Indena Scientific Advisor, said "This is the first large and controlled clinical study that demonstrates the efficacy of curcumin in eye relapsing diseases like anterior uveitis. It confirms the important anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin, and the same authors suggest that this could be useful also in other eye inflammatory and degenerative eye pathologies, like dry eye, maculopathy, glaucoma, allergic conjunctivitis, and diabetic retinopathy. Being a long-term study, the results of this study highlight the safety profile of Meriva^®".

With over 3000 pre-clinical investigations, Curcumin is one of the best investigated natural products of the whole biomedical literature; these studies have demonstrated its action as a master switch of inflammation. Nevertheless, just like most dietary phenolics, curcumin shows a very poor oral absorption. These problems have now been largely overcome by phospholipid complexation of curcumin that is capitalizing the basic tenets of the Phytosome^® strategy to improve the bioavailability by offering an higher stability and oral absorption in comparison with uncomplexed curcumin. 

1. Allegri P, Mastromarino A, Neri P, Management of chronic anterior uveitis relapses: efficacy of oral phospholipidic curcumin treatment. Long-term follow up, Clinical Ophtalmology, October 2010:4,1201-1206.

About curcumin
Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), the most important spice of the Indian cuisine, and a major ingredient of curry powders. In Asian Medicine, turmeric is used for the treatment of inflammation and joint pain. In Western countries, it is mainly employed as a food additive to color dairy products (cheese and yogurts), margarine and canned food. 

About Meriva^®
Meriva^® is a patented complex of curcumin, a dietary phenolic, with soy phosphatidylcholine. The two compounds form a non-covalent adduct in a 1:2 weight ratio, and two parts of microcrystalline cellulose are then added to improve formulation, with an overall content of curcumin of 20%. Meriva^® is already included as an ingredient in food supplements marketed in USA and EU and available over the counter. 

About Norflo^®
Norflo^® is a natural phyto-nutraceutical containing Meriva^® (curcumin phospholipid), a product designed to improve bioavailability of curcuminoids which can play an important role as complementary therapy in eye specialists therapeutic protocols. Norflo^® tablets disaggregate in few minutes making the absorption at intestinal level particularly effective. Norflo^® is indicated for the treatment of chronic or relapsing eye diseases. 

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Indena is the world's leading company dedicated to the identification, development and production of active principles derived from plants, for use in the pharmaceutical, health food and cosmetics industries. Backed up by over 85 years of botanical experience, the key to Indena�s success is its intense research activity. The company has more than 150 primary patents and has published more than 700 scientific studies. Indena employs more than 700 staff, including 10% dedicated to full-time research activities carried out at Settala Research Center, near Milan. Indena also co-operates with the world's most prestigious universities and private research institutions. Headquartered in Milan, Indena has 5 production sites and 4 international branches throughout the world and manages distribution operations in more than 40 countries. The Company's experts communicate and interact constantly with the major international regulatory authorities such as WHO, EMEA, and ESCOP, and work with all the main pharmacopoeias.

Further Information on Indena: www.indena.com  
Further Information on Indena�s Phytosome^® complexes: www.phytosomes.info 

Indena Press Contacts:
Cohn & Wolfe Milan
Laura Faravelli laura.faravelli@cohnwolfe.com 
Lorenzo Petracco lorenzo.petracco@cohnwolfe.com 
Tel.+39.02202391

Eye Pharma Co is a branch of Eye Tech founded in 2005 and based in Genoa, Italy. Its mission is to research and market innovative and exclusive natural nutraceuticals, drugs and devices for the ophthalmology area. Eye Pharma pursues the highest standards in terms of quality and professional ethics. Clinical research is its main activity: clinical studies about maculopathy and myopia are currently running at Italian important Universities centers. 

Further information on Eye Pharma products: www.eyepharma.com  

Eye Pharma Press Contacts: 
Giuseppe Campora campora@eyetech.ge.it 
Tel. +39010513188