Star Scientific has become one of the most searched for stocks on the internet, and with the recent announcment about settlement talks with RJ Reynolds and with the announcement that GNC is now carrying Anatabloc, investors are starting to understand the potential for Star Scientific.  Perhaps some retail and institutional investors looking for information on Star Scientific and Anatabloc may find their way to Investor Village and this discussion board.  Not only does this board focus our discussions on the investment opportunity that Star Scientific offers, we have dozens of individuals that actually take Anatabloc and share our experiences. 

 

First, for the settlement possibilities with RJ Reynolds, I recommend you read these two posts.   Suffice it to say that all big tobacco companies need licenses to Star's patents.  IMHO, Star will eventually get paid for every pack of cigarettes sold (I estimate a royalty license of 8-12 cents/pack).

 

http://www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=2013&mn=2006&pt=msg&mid=11405689 

 

 

The RJR settlement talks and the expansion of Anatabloc's distribution channels are the triggers needed to start Star Scientific on an historic rise.   Star Scientific (CIGX) should be a big winner in 2012.  In fact, CIGX has the possibility of being another "It Stock" ala QCOM in 1999.   If you have never read this article in Money Magazine, I highly recommend you read it...if only for nostalgia purposes.  Based on the research attached below, I believe CIGX will wind up being the "It Stock" for 2012, and, IMHO, it will be at least a ten bagger in 2012.    My picks for the year (as can be found on my Seeking Alpha Instablog from Jan 2 are CIGX, IDCC, DNDN and TSRA).   DNDN, CIGX and TSRA have all started their moves.   IDCC is down because they cancelled their strategic alternative process, but I believe they will recover nicely (as can be seen by recent insider buys in the open market).

Why am I so high on Star Scientific?  First...a little history.

Star Scientific is a small money losing company located outside Richmond, VA that developed and patented a methodology to cure tobacco that virtually eliminates the formation of the primary carcinogen in tobacco (TSNA’s or Tobacco Specific NitrosAmines).  Star Scientific patented a process to cure tobacco that controlled the heat, humidity, and the aerobic conditions in the curing barns that reduced the TSNA’s to below detectable levels (BDL).   Those patents were validated last year by the US Patent and Trademark Office and by the Federal courts.   Barring a settlement with all the big tobacco companies (which could happen at any time), Star Scientific will likely be filing new lawsuits against RJ Reynolds and/or Philip Morris later this year.   But that is not the interesting part of this story.   The interesting part of the story revolves around the health effects of another compound they found in tobacco called anatabine.

While Star Scientific was working on ways to benefit smokers from their knowledge of tobacco, they started searching for another substance in tobacco that might be used to help smoker's stop smoking.  They suspected there was something in addition to nicotine that could be used to help people stop craving tobacco...and they were correct.  They found another substance in tobacco similar to nicotine called anatabine.  Anatabine is a minor alkaloid in tobacco and also in foods such as green tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers.   In testing, Star discovered that anatabine had some remarkable properties to reduce inflammation. 

They started selling an over the counter product called CIGRx about 18 months ago to help smokers stop smoking.   That product helped some people stop, but had no effect on others.   However, people taking CIGRx to stop smoking started noticing unforeseen health benefits (especially people with autoimmune diseases).  Anatabine was a powerful anti-inflammatory that helped regulate the NF-kB inflammation process at a cellualr level.  FYI, CIGRx has .3 mg of anatabine, and their new product, just released in late August is called Anatabloc and it has 1 mg of anatabine (or ~3.3 times as much).

The company got independent medical experts involved from Johns Hopkins and from the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota, FL (an independent research facility on aging and Alzheimers partially funded by NIH).  These experts have all been studying the anti-inflammatory response for patients taking Anatabloc (code name RCP-006 at the Roskamp Institute).  They have now verified that Anatabine (Anatabloc) has some remarkable properties to reduce inflammation.  Because it is a nutraceutical, Star Scientific was able to get it to market much faster than a drug because it did not have to go through the standard FDA drug approval process.   They also found a way to synthesize it artificially and make pure Anatabine in the lab (patent pending).   It is now available by mail order over the internet at Anatabloc.com and through GNC.   The product is safe because it is a nutraceutical (found in everyday foods such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers at lower concentrations).  We can't eat 20-25 pounds of green tomatoes every day (~the amount of Anatabine needed for the immune response), but we can take six tablets (lozenges) of Anatabloc.  Attached below is a good background article on inflammation that was in Time Magazine a few years ago.  In a nutshell, it says that inflammation may be the root cause of a variety of illnesses (including auto immune diseases, heart disease, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, MS, and many cancers).

People have now been taking Anatabloc for several months and have experienced relief from a variety of afflictions related to autoimmune diseases and other serious conditions.   Here is a recent news piece from a CBS affiliate station in Michigan (WNEM) where a reporter interviewed a woman participating in one of the Anatabloc human trials.  They also interviewed the local doctor (Dr. Dale Wilson) who was coordinating the trial.   Watch the video linked below (and pay close attention to what Dr. Wilson says near the end about participants in the trial showing a "marked response").  These results should be released in the next few months...but based on this piece, we already know the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC3Ths-Mt8

Testimonials on the internet started appearing about 14 months ago, shortly after people started using CIGRx. The anti-inflammatory properties of anatabine was helping a variety of people with autoimmune diseases.   I saw some of these testimonials myself, yet I was extremely skeptical of all this until I learned that  physicians from Johns Hopkins and the Roskamp Institute had verified these anti-inflammatory properties.  Dr. Paul Ladenson (Director of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins), Dr. Patruzo Caturegli of Johns Hopkins,  and Dr. Michael Mullan (Director of the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota, FL) had tested Anatabloc and were fully convinced about the efficacy for reducing inflammation (they are now giving seminars to other physicians).  

I wanted to see for myself if this stuff really worked, so in early July (before Anatabloc was available, I started taking CIGRx).   At the time, my Rheumatoid Arthritis was about 80-90% under control from my Rx drugs (Humira and Methotrexate).  But since I started taking CIGRx (in September I changed to Anatabloc), I have seen significant benefits.   In the past, I couldn't play 18 holes of golf without the joints in my hand becoming inflamed to the point I couldn't play golf the next day.   On a beach trip with the family last summer, I was able to play golf with my sons for 4 straight days (36 holes on two days), without any swelling whatsoever.   My asthma is better than it has been in years and I no longer even use an Albuterol inhaler. I now take Humira every 3 weeks instead of weekly.  My tennis elbow and knees no longer ache (three knee surgeries from 2 meniscus tears and a torn ACL).  Other additional benefits I have noticed are my sinuses are clear, I sleep better, I have more energy, and my urine stream is much stronger.   There are numerous other similar positive stories now being reported on the internet.

Anatabine has passed numerous studies in mammals and is now being used in several clinical trials with humans.  Attached below are links to Anatabloc's (code name RCP-006) anti-inflammatory test results released from the The Roskamp Institute.   They reveal that Anatabine (Anatabloc) reduces inflammation much better than Aspirin, Advil or Celebrex (by a factor of four or more).   But the biggest advantage I see is that it is a nutraceutical found in foods...so it is much safer and better on the liver than traditional NSAIDS like advil or ibuprofen.  Test results on mice and rats have shown Anatabine to be non-toxic even at extremely high doses (100 times the equivalent recommended dose for humans).   The first product that Star Scientific sold with anatabine was CIGRx to help smokers stop smoking.  CIGRx only had .3 mg of Anatabine or about 1/3rd the anatabine content that is in their new product (Anatabloc has 1 mg).   Over 170,000 people have taken CIGRx to stop smoking with no reported side effects or drug interactions, so anatabine is safe. Below are the results published by the Roskamp Insitute on the ability of Anatabine to reduce inflammation.

 http://www.mullanalzheimer.com/livesite/

After all my due diligence, I believe Anatabloc will have significant benefits for numerous auto-immune diseases associated with inflammation (including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Asthma, Crohn's Disease, MS, etc.).  Recent testimonials on the internet also support the fact that it has greatly benefitted people with other conditions associated with inflammation associated with NF-kB (including cancers, Alzheimers, Parkinsons etc.).  Although Anatabloc is only available by internet mail order at this time, it should soon be on the shelves of your local GNC store (ask the store manager when?).   Even though Anatabloc has only been on the market for about 6 months, there have been dozens of anecdotal stories of miraculous cures posted on the internet.   For example...here is one posted by someone who was apparently cured of bladder cancer.

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=69786883

There are dozens of testmonials like this, from Plantar Fasciatis to Periodontitis.   The world is waiting for Star to release peer reviewed medical journal articles and studies of on-going human trials on Anatabloc.  The first medical journal article (on In-vivo and In-Vitro effects of Anatabine for Alzhiemers) was just released about 4 months ago, but a lot more should be coming out in 2012.

One issue that Star faces is the advertising limitations of selling this product as a nutraceutical.  The FDA has been known to come down hard on companies that make unsubstantiated claims of health benefits, so Anatabloc usage has mostly been spurred by word of mouth.   It appears that the company will severely limit their advertising until there are independent peer reviewed physician reports on the human studies.   Numerous peer reviewed studies on Anatabine should start showing up in the press and in legitimate medical journals in 2012.    Star Scientific is now holding educational seminars for Physicians (being conducted by Dr. Paul Ladenson,  the Director of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins) and Dr. Michael Mullan (Director of the Roskamp Institute).   In October they held three seminars in VA, MI and CA.  They also have a facebook page for Anatabloc.  The first peer reviewed article on Anatabine’s possible use in Alzheimers recently came out in the European Journal of Pharmacology.  Patrick Cox (a technology stock analyst who has toured the Roskamp Institute and talked to physicians at Johns Hopkins involved with Anatabloc studies) wrote an article about Anatabloc   that explains the huge upside of a nutraceutical that can stop NF-kB inflammation.
 

Here are a few of the testimonials that have been posted on the Investor Village CIGX board....

In case you are interested, here are a few human diseases where NF-kB inflammation has been determined to play a role.

 

 

excerpts....

 

Diseases

NF-kB DISEASES

On this page are listed several diseases in which activation of NF-kB has been implicated.  For general reviews on the role of NF-kB in disease, see Aradhya & Nelson (2001), Kumar et al (2004), Yamamoto & Gaynor (2002) or Baldwin (2001).  For specific diseases see the listed references, which can be found either on this site (under References) or at PubMed (through the linked references).

Table 1: General Diseases

Disease Review/Paper

Ageing                          Chung et al, 2002; Adler  2007; Csizar 2008
Allergies                                                Cousins et al, 2008
Headaches                                                Reuter et al, 2003
Pain                                Tegeder 2004; Niederberger 2008
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome          Hettne et al, 2007
Cardiac Hypertrophy      Purcell  2003; Freund et al, 2005; Sen 2005
Muscular Dystrophy (type 2A)              Baghdiguian et al, 1999
Muscle wasting                                      Hasselgren, 2007
Catabolic disorders                                Holmes-McNary, 2002
Diabetes mellitus, Type 1                       Ho & Bray, 1999; Eldor 2006
Diabetes  mellitus, Type 2          Yuan et al, 2001; Lehrke et al, 2004
Obesity                                                       Gil et al, 2007
Fetal Growth Retardation                      Mammon et al, 2005 Hypercholesterolemia                            Wilson et al, 2000
Atherosclerosis                                Ross et al, 2001 ; Li & Gao, 2005
Heart Disease                                         Valen et al, 2001
Chronic Heart Failure                   Frantz et al, 2003; Gong et al, 2007
Ischemia/reperfusion           Toledo-Pereyra et al, 2004; Nichols, 2004
Stroke                                                    Herrmann et al, 2005
Cerebral aneurysm                                 Aoki et al, 2007; 2009
Angina Pectoris                                      Ritchie, 1998
Pulmonary Disease                                 Christman et al, 2000
Cystic Fibrosis          Pollard 2005; Carrabino 2006; Rottner  2007
Acid-induced Lung Injury                        Madjdpour et al, 2003
Pulmonary hypertension                         Sawada et al, 2007
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD)                         Barnes, 2002 ; Rahman & Kilty, 2006
Hyaline Membrane Disease                    Cheah et al, 2005
Kidney Disease                 Guijarro 2001; Camici, 2006; Guzik  2007
Glomerular Disease                                Zheng et al, 2005
Alcoholic Liver Disease                        Zima & Kalousova, 2005
Leptospirosis renal disease                   Yang et al, 2001
Gut Diseases                                           Neurath et al, 1998
Peritoneal endometriosis                 Gonzalez-Ramos et al, 2007
Skin Diseaes                                           Bell et al, 2003
Nasal sinusitis                                       Xu et al, 2006
Anhidrotic Ecodermal Dysplasia-ID     Puel et al, 2005
Behcet’s Disease                                   Todaro et al, 2005
Incontinentia pigmenti                           Courtois & Israel, 2000
Tuberculosis                                          Zea et al, 2006
Asthma                                                   Pahl & Szelenyi, 2002
Arthritis                              Roshak et al, 2002 ;  Aud & Peng, 2006
Crohn’s  Disease                                     Pena & Penate, 2002
Colitis (rat)                                            Chen et al, 2005
Ocular Allergy                                       Bielory et al, 2002
Glaucoma                                               Zhou et al, 2005
Appendicitis                                           Pennington et al, 2000
Paget’s Disease                                       Lin et al, 2007
Pancreatitis                           Weber & Adler, 2001 ; Gray et al, 2006
Periodonitis                                Nichols et al, 2001; Ambili et al, 2005
Endometriosis                                       Guo, 2006; Celik et al, 2008
Inflammatory Bowel Disease     Dijkstra et al, 2002; Atreya et al, 2008
Inflammatory Lung Disease                     Park & Christman, 2006
Sepsis                                     Wratten et al, 2001; Abraham, 2003
Silica-induced                                        Chen & Shi, 2002
Sleep apnoea                                          Lavie, 2003
AIDS (HIV-1)                                         Hiscott et al., 2001
Autoimmunity                                      Bacher & Schmitz, 2004
Antiphospholipid Syndrome                   Lopez-Pedrera et al, 2005
Lupus                                       Okamoto, 2006; Oikonomidou 2007
Lupus nephritis                                       Zheng et al, 2006,
Chronic Disease Syndrome                   Maes et al, 2007
Familial Mediterranean Fever               Onen, 2005
Hereditary Periodic Fever Syndrome      Jeru et al, 2008
Psychosocial stress diseases                  Bierhaus et al, 2004
NeuropathologicalDiseases                     Pizzi & Spano, 2006
Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy    Mazzeo et al, 2004
Traumatic brain injury                           Hang et al, 2005
Spinal cord injury                                 Brambilla et al, 2005
Parkinson Disease                         Soos et al, 2004, Mogi et al, 2006
Multiple Sclerosis                            Satoh et al, 2007
Rheumatic Disease                Okamoto, 2006; Greetham et al, 2007
Alzheimers  Disease                   Collister & Albensi, 2005
Amyotropic lateral sclerosis                  Xu et al, 2006
Huntington’s Disease                              Khoshnan et al, 2004
Retinal Disease                                      Kitaoka et al, 2004
Cataracts                                                 Yang et al, 2006
Hearing loss                            Merchant et al, 2005; Lang et al, 2006
Cancer                    Gilmore 2002; Lee et al, 2007 (see Table 2, below)

______________________________________________________________________

.

Table 2:  Constitutive activation of NF-kB in human cancer cells

Cancer type Reference

A: Primary tumors and tumor cell lines

Solid tumors (generally)                      Pacifico & Leonardi, 2006
Breast                     Nakshatri 1997; Sovak1997; Ahmed et al, 2006
Cervix               Nair  2003; Kumar et al, 2005; Ramdass et al, 2006
Ovary                                     Dejardin et al, 1999; Huang et al, 2000
Vulva                                              Seppanen & Vihko, 2000
Prostate          Huang  2001; Fradet 2004; Lessard 2006;  Paule 2007
Kidney                                                 Oya et al, 2001, 2003
Bladder                   Horiguchi 2003; Kadhim  2006; Levidou 2008
Lung               Zhang et al, 2007; Motadi  2007; Stathopoulos 2008
Mesothelioma                   Bertino  2007; Carbone & Bedrossian, 2006
Non small-cell lung     Zhang et al, 2006; Tew et al, 2007; Jin et al, 2008
Liver                    Arsura & Cavin, 2005; Qiao et al, 2006; Seki 2007
Pancreas       Jackson 2006;  Sarkar 2006; Holcomb  2008
Stomach                                      Sasaki et al, 2001; Wu et al, 2007
Colon              Lind et al, 2001; Schottelius 2006; Aranha et al, 2007
Thyroid           Visconti  1997; Pacifico 2004; Gombos et al, 2007
Parathyroid                                    Corbetta et al, 2004
Melanoma                    Amiri 2005; Ueda 2006; Van den Oord 2007
Squamous cell carcinoma        Loercher 2004; Kobielak & Fuchs, 2006
Head and neck                  Ondrey 1999; Chung 2006; Allen  2007
Endometrial (Uteris)                  Pallares 2004; Domenyuk et al, 2007
Cylindromatosis                   Kovalenko 2003;  Trompouki et al, 2003
Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma                         Chen et al, 2005
Oral carcinoma                 Bindhu 2006; Mishra 2006; Sawhney 2007
Astrocytoma/glioblastoma              Hayahsi  2001; Garkavtsev  2004
Neuroblastoma                    Bian  2002; Brown 2007; Widera  2007
Glioblastoma                      Raychaudhuri et al, 2007; Smith 2007
Hodgkin’s lymphoma             Bargou et al, 1996, 1997; Staudt, 2000
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia    Kordes et al, 2000; Munzert 2004
Acute myelogenous leukemia             Guzman et al, 2001
Acute T-cell leukemia (+/-HTLV-1)     Arima & Tei, 2001; Horie 2006
Acute Non-lymphocytic leukemia                    Lei & Zhao, 2007
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia               Furman et al, 2000 ;
Burkitts Lymphoma (EBV)                              Knecht et al, 2001
Mantle cell lymphoma                                     Martinez et al, 2003
Myelodysplastic syndrome                              Fabre et al, 2007
Multiple myeloma                         Berenson et al, 2001; Gilmore, 2007
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma     Davis et al, 2001; Shaffer et al, 2002
MALT lymphoma                 Sagaert al, 2007; Inagaki, 2007; Du, 2007
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia                         Leleu et al, 2008