Hemispherx Announces Study that Advances CFS Programs in Europe

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (Amex: HEB;
HEBws) announced that results published today in a leading medical journal show a new one-step diagnostic test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in Europeanprograms has accurately identified this debilitating condition in patients, which may thereby accelerate the overall process of effective therapeutic intervention.

The breakthrough results, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal,"American Journal of Medicine,'' are part of a study by leading researchers in France and Belgium who are members of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Hemispherx Europe. The researchers evaluated more than 100 patients with different disorders under ``blinded conditions'' and found that a new biological marker, which was targeted to CFS, was not evident in patients with other fatiguing conditions such as fibromyalgia or depression.

CFS is a chronic debilitating condition characterized by disabling fatigue,fever, myalgia and neurocognitive disturbances. Because a new diagnostic test can identify CFS in patients, therapeutic intervention can take place much more quickly. In fact, certain patients in this study who were diagnosed with CFS using this new test received Ampligen®, a new product for which Hemispherx Europe has pending marketing applications in 15 European countries.

In related developments, Hemispherx said that the European Parliament recently passed new laws which will accelerate the availability of specific treatments for CFS, and EU member nations, including Italy and Belgium, are actively taking new official regulatory steps to facilitate reimbursement of new medications, which may potentially interrupt the natural history and devastating societal impact of untreated CFS.

Hemispherx Biopharma, which is based in Philadelphia, is a pharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture and global clinical development of new drug entities in the nucleic acid (NA) class for chronic viral diseases and disorders of the immune system including CFS, HIV and hepatitis. Its flagship products are Ampligen®, which is being developed for CFS and drug-resistant HIV, and polyadenur, which is being developed for hepatitis B and C.

Information contained in this news release other than historical information, should be considered forward-looking and is subject to various risk factors and uncertainties. For instance, the strategies and operations of Hemispherx involve risks of competition, changing market conditions, changes in laws and regulations affecting these industries and numerous other factors discussed in this release and in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc.

To Love, In Sickness And In Health

"The course of true love never did run smooth." - William
Shakespeare
If you're a person with ME/CFS who is married or in a relationship, there is no doubt that your illness has brought new difficulties and a variety of changes. Though our bodies are sick, how can we keep our relationships healthy?

Seemingly by definition and according to William Shakespeare),committed relationships are fraught with ups and downs along the road. Hurt feelings and hugs, whispered promises and angry threats, misunderstandings and insights, grief and growth, loss and love...these are all a part of loving someone and being loved. The challenges of making love work are never easy. But when one partner is struck by an illness like CFS or Fibromyalgia, the strain on the relationship can sometimes feel like too much to bear.

Although the suffering of the ME/CFS patient is often severe, we should not underestimate the sadness, frustration, loss, and helplessness that the healthy partner also feels. Many spouses describe the pain of watching their loved ones suffer and not being able to do anything about it. Fred Friedberg, author of Coping With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, points out,"Your significant other has probably had to make wrenching adjustments toyour illness. He or she may experience the same denial, anger, and even depression that you have in dealing with ME/CFS." Friedberg emphasizes that the "healthy" partner has the same right to all of the negative emotional reactions that you have to the illness. While the nature of the suffering may
be different, it is nevertheless valid; and it is important that those feelings be heard.

The stress, loss, and grief that are ME/CFS imposes on a relationship can seem overwhelming, threatening the very relationship that is most essential to nurturing us in our struggle with illness. The irony is that coping with ME/CFS or other chronic illness often drains so much energy that little is left for the interpersonal work that any relationship needs. Many marriages and relationships don't survive. But many not only survive, but thrive; relationships can be strengthened and deepened in a way that would never have occurred without the challenge of illness.

Lynn Vanderzalm, author of Finding Strength in Weakness, offers important guidelines for keeping relationships strong in the midst of the struggle with illness:

Accept Changes
CFIDS forces many changes on relationships, especially in marriage. Expectations need to be adjusted and different roles identified in order to build a healthy relationship that can sustain the stresses of illness.

Develop a Life Outside CFIDS
Vanderzalm recommends establishing at least one ritual that has nothing to do with illness. It might be sitting and watching the sunset, or anything that can set aside the difficulty of living with illness and bring back the original feeling of closeness.

Communicate Your Needs
Living with CFIDS or other chronic illness requires even stronger communication skills between two people. We need to know what the other is feeling and what is truly important. Many couples wisely choose to get counselling, either together or individually. This can be very helpful in building deeper communication skills in order to cope with the challenges of illness.

Give Support and Understanding
It is extremely destructive when the illness is used as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. The CFIDS sufferer needs to know that difficulties are not necessarily his or her fault, and both partners need to feel that they are "on the same team." More specifically, each person in the relationship has something special to give, depending upon whether or not they are the one who is sick:

What the Healthy Partner Can Give

reassurance that they believe the illness is real
confidence that they will be there for support
special attention to the CFIDS sufferer's needs, especially in timesof pain and weakness
communicating that no matter how sick the sufferer may look or feel, he or she is valuable as a person.

What the Sick Partner Can Give

the integrity of telling the truth; neither exaggerating the illness nor hiding its reality
commitment to the other person and the growth of the relationship
appreciation and understanding for what the healthy partner is going through
the gift of saving some energy for the other person and contributing what you can.

A third of Japanese suffer chronic fatigue --poll
TOKYO, Feb 6 (Reuters) - More than one in three Japanese suffer from chronic fatigue so severe that many are forced to skip work or school, the Health Ministry said at the weekend.
A national survey of 3,015 people aged between 15 and 65, conducted by the Health Ministry, showed 36 percent of the respondents had suffered from fatigue for at least six months.
The number of men and women experiencing fatigue for six months or longer was about equal, said the survey, issued by Kyodo news agency.
Nearly half the 1,078 chronic sufferers, or 17 percent of the people surveyed, indicated that they had taken days off from work or school due to fatigue, it said.
``I am surprised at the extremely large number of people complaining of fatigue,'' Kyodo quoted Teruo Kitani, head of the ministry's research team, as saying. ``Japanese people apparently show high levels of fatigue compared with respondents in similar studies from abroad.''
Some attributed their fatigue to overwork, although many said they could think of no reason for their exhaustion.