EXCLUSIVE: Sunshine Biopharma Looks Ahead In COVID And Cancer Treatments
Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: SBFM) might be living the concept of being in the right place at the right time. This Canadian company is currently focusing on three product lines - the SBFM-PL4 COVID-19 treatment, the Adva-27a anticancer compound, and the Essential 9 nutritional supplements — and each is moving forward with positive results.
In February, the company successfully closed an $8 million public offering and was uplisted to the Nasdaq Capital Market. Also, in February, the company entered into an agreement with the University of Arizona to further the development of novel PLpro inhibitors used in its anticancer compound.
Earlier this month, Sunshine Biopharma announced that two of its newly designed mRNA molecules were shown to be effective in terminating and destroying cancer cells grown in culture.
The cytotoxicity tests were performed on different types of cancer cells, including those related to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. The company said it planned to file a patent application in connection with the test results.
Benzinga recently spoke with Camille Sebaaly, Sunshine Biopharma’s chief financial officer, about the company’s current and near-future endeavors.
Let’s begin with your COVID treatment. What are your company’s immediate goals with this pursuit?
Camille Sebaaly: Our plan is to deliver a drug that it’s suitable for almost everybody. And with all these coronaviruses that are surfacing, and there is one — Omicron XE — that is very hard for a patient to cope with. We believe our PLpro is extremely good for that, and we believe that it’s the right drug.
Congratulations are in order on the results of your anticancer compound. What is the primary focus of this aspect of your business?
Sebaaly: We are going for multidrug resistance, and now we’re focusing on pancreatic cancer because pancreatic cancer is the most dangerous.
Are you able to offer a preview of your upcoming catalysts, including the human trials for both COVID-19 and the cancer programs?
Sebaaly: I cannot talk about it because it’s not in the public domain yet. It is in process, and it will be announced.
Your company also has the Essential 9 dietary supplement product, which generated about $230,000 during the fiscal year 2021. What plans do you have for this product line?
Sebaaly: We’re planning on doing international marketing — a very aggressive marketing program. We’re looking to sell a lot because this is a very good product — it is called Essential 9 because it contains all the nine amino acids that the body does not cannot make, and a deficiency in one or more of the nine essential amino acid can lead to loss of muscle mass, fatigue, weight gain, a weakened immune system, and reduced general wellness. It’s very good for everybody — I am taking it, and I look way much younger than all my friends my age.
The company was recently in the news over a recent stock selloff, for which some people online blamed an article published by Benzinga. In your view, how did this selloff come about?
Sebaaly: There was no reason to have a selloff. I don’t know what triggered it. I don’t know. The only thing I want to say is I’m sure they misunderstood Benzinga and the short [selling] people took advantage of that, and they carried on with that. That’s all I can say.
In listening to you speak about Sunshine Biopharma, your enthusiasm for your work resonates. What is about working with your company that invigorates you personally?
Sebaaly: We have very good products, and we believe that we have something very interesting. And Dr. Steve Slilaty [the company’s CEO] is, for me, a genius. I’ve been working with him for more than 30 years, and I believe whatever he can do in half an hour takes other scientists at least four to six months to accomplish. He’s a brilliant guy.
I’m very happy and I am very pleased. I work nights and days to deliver for people, and we are very compassionate about what we’re doing.
If we were to pick up this conversation in a year from now, where would you see the company at that time?
Sebaaly: If things go as planned, we have many things in the pipeline. If one of them goes well and does well, God knows where we’ll be next year — the limit is the sky here.
SBFM Price Action: Shares are down 15.3% at $2.93 at time of publication.
Photo courtesy of Sunshine Biopharma
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