Ceapro Inc. Reports Preliminary Results from Clinical Trial Evaluating Oat Beta Glucan in Patients with High Cholesterol Levels

EDMONTON, Alberta, Nov. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ceapro Inc. (TSX-V: CZO; OTCQX: CRPOF) (“Ceapro” or the “Company”), a growth-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of active ingredients for healthcare and cosmetic industries, today reported preliminary results from the clinical study entitled “A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Group, Placebo-Controlled Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of High-Medium Molecular Weight Beta-Glucan as Add-On to Statin Therapy in Subjects with Hyperlipidemia”. Following a protocol amendment, patients not treated with a statin were also eligible to enter the study.  

This clinical trial assessed the safety and efficacy of three dosages of oat beta glucan administered as 500 mg pills (1.5 g, 3 g and 6 g per day) compared to placebo. A total of 263 patients (169 females and 94 males) were enrolled in the study. The majority of patients did not receive a statin. The overall compliance to study pill intake was greater than 80%. From a safety perspective, there was no death and beta glucan was generally well tolerated.

The effect of oat beta glucan on the study primary endpoint of change in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was not statistically significant compared to placebo. Of note, amongst some positive findings observed with different parameters, there were dosage-related responses in weight and body-mass index at 12 weeks, but they also did not reach statistical significance.

“While we had hoped for a more definitive statistically significant outcome, many observations send some positive signals. They are in accordance with recent data by Cicero et al.¹ on another beta glucan nutraceutical formulation and reinforce the hypothesis that oat beta glucan may offer appreciable health benefits, as indicated in Health Canada’s oat beta glucan approved monograph. While Ceapro’s oat beta glucan product complies with requirements for market authorization for a natural product and seeks to surpass marketed products, continued efforts may be warranted to explore its effect on weight and body-mass index with prolonged exposure and possibly higher dosage. The current study has been conducted under best clinical research practices by the expert team of the Montreal Heart Institute. I am very grateful for their great work, resilience, professionalism and competencies during this pandemic period,” commented Gilles R. Gagnon, Chief Executive Officer of Ceapro.

About Ceapro Inc.

Ceapro Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology and the application of this technology to the production of extracts and “active ingredients” from oats and other renewable plant resources. Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and therapeutics products for humans and animals. The Company has a broad range of expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit the Company’s website at www.ceapro.com.

For more information contact:

Jenene Thomas
JTC Team, LLC
Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Advisor
T (US): +1 (833) 475-8247
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¹ Arrigo F. G. Cicero et al., « A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Medium-Term Effects of Oat Fibers on Human Health: The Beta-Glucan Effects on Lipid Profile, Glycemia and InTestinal Health (BELT) Study », Nutrients 12, n^o 3 (3 mars 2020): E686, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030686.