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Madrona Ventures Inc. Acquires Patents for naltrexone Treatment of Obesity

September 1, 2009

A groundbreaking new treatment for obesity is to begin clinical trials in January. Madrona Ventures Inc, an American publicly listed company (OTCBB: MDRV), has acquired the treatment’s European patent and the pending American patent application.

The safe and effective treatment is a proprietary patented pharmaceutical medicine-based behaviour programme pioneered by Dr David Sinclair who has already designed a similar treatment program that has shown remarkable results in the treatment of alcoholism.

Madrona Ventures Inc. (soon to be known as Lightlake Therapeutics Inc)  is a drug discovery company focusing on developing new and innovative solutions to obesity and eating disorders.

Dr Sinclair, the scientist who discovered this new approach for weight management and obesity, previously patented The Sinclair Method which is already being used by alcohol clinics. Dr Sinclair has now refined this method to provide a precise treatment of eating disorders. The program weakens and removes unhealthy eating habits while simultaneously preserving and reinforcing healthy eating behaviours, exercising, and other calorie-burning activities.

Says Dr Sinclair: “The method is unique because it doesn’t view obesity as a single monolithic disease but targets the one in three cases with a specific subtype that can be treated safely and effectively. Finding medicines that cause a loss of weight is easy. Finding one that does so safely is the hard part.”

Madrona Ventures Inc. will be starting the phase II double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in Finland.  The trial will last for six months.

US researchers say obesity related disease costs the US $147billion a year. In Britain, the Department of Health estimates obesity is costing the NHS £4.7billion per annum. Both countries estimate that 25% of the population is now obese and these figures are rising. The total market for weight reduction includes obesity drugs but also surgical procedures, diet programs, diet foods, exercise regimes, fitness machines, and spas.  The amount spent each year is in excess of a trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000), i.e., an order of magnitude higher that the most profitable blockbuster medicine.  In the UK alone, the annual cost of obesity to society is estimated at $12 billion (£7,500,000,000).

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Wisconsin considers naltrexone for drunk drivers

August 23, 2009

Representatives of the Wisconsin State Assembly presented Assembly Bill 366, which would require repeat offending drunk drivers who are given probation to take naltrexone as a condition of that probation.  The bill was submitted to the assembly’s Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform on August 6 of 2009 by  Representative  Peter Barca and several of his colleagues.

This bill would essentially require repeat drunk drivers to undergo pharmacological extinction for alcoholism, gambling, opiates, and all other endophinogenic behaviors during the period of probation. This bill’s expected effect would be to notably decrease the incidence of alcoholism and alcohol related crimes throughout the state. The total effectiveness would be dependent upon the percentage of drunk drivers who are endorphin addiction based alcoholics and how well they can ensure compliance. In the year 2000, roughly 30,000 convictions occurred for drunk driving offenses in the state of Wisconsin.

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Wellness TalkRadio to host conference on the Sinclair Method

June 9, 2009

Wellness TalkRadio will be hosting an all-day conference on the Sinclair Method on October 3rd of 2009. This conference will be held in Santa Barbara, and will feature guests Dr. David Sinclair and Dr. Roy Eskapa. This is an opportunity to learn about Pharmacological Extinction and how the Sinclair Method can work for you first-hand from the men who know the most about it.

Dr. David Sinclair will present highlights from his 40+ years of research, in order to help the attendees understand the process of alcohol addiction and how Pharmacological Extinction eliminates the cravings. Dr. Roy Eskapa will share his experience and success stories from his years working the Sinclair Method with real people, and he will be there to answer your questions and help you understand how the Method works. There will also be small group study sessions and question and answer sessions to help you understand the Method, take home Support Guides and Informational Materials, Internet Access to Video Archives of the Event and a Healthy Gourmet Lunch all in beautiful Santa Barbara.

Registration for the conference can be done at http://ezregister.com/events/398/. For more information, email Kris Costello at learn@wellnesstalkradio.com or call Wellness TalkRadio at (805) 717-0795.

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Newsmax article on Naltrexone and Kleptomania

May 23, 2009

Newsmax.com has posted an article regarding how naltrexone can curb kleptomania. As is common for these news articles, it describes naltrexone as reducing the urge to steal things as if it were a diet pill. The news article cites the study performed at the University of Minnesota, which describes the effect as being a reduction in urge and behavior in its abstract.

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Yale University and University of Minnesota open Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research

May 20, 2009

The Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders has announced the formation of a pair of Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research. One will be at Yale University and the other will be at the University of Minnesota. Of the two, Yale specifically is intending to perform a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial with naltrexone to determine its effectiveness in helping those with gambling problems.

Dr. Marc Potenza of Yale University will be in charge of this program. He is internationally recognized for his research into the drug treatment for pathological gambling.

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Austrailian management of naltrexone implants in question

May 15, 2009

The Daily Adviser in Australia has printed an article that describes an instance of disastrous management of a naltrexone implant. The article reports that the clinic which administered the implant failed to give Sarah (the patient) any instructions on how to prepare for it. Before she went in to get the implant she gave herself a strong “one last time” shot of heroin. The implant resulted in three days of rapid opiate withdrawal without the benefit of seditives.

After this gripping opening, Ruth Pollard uses the event to discuss the current health and political concerns around the naltrexone implants. Both the safety and effectiveness of the implant remain in serious question.

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Dr. Eskapa interviewed on Wellness TalkRadio

May 13, 2009

On Saturday, May 16, an interview with Dr. Roy Eskapa and Ella Glasser will be aired on Wellness TalkRadio regarding the Sinclair Method. If you are in the Santa Barbara area, you can listen in on KUHL AM1410 and KINF AM1440  at 5pm. The rest of the world can listen to the interview via AM1440′s live internet feed at 5:00pm PDT/8:00pm EDT.

The interview with Ella Glasser is particularly compelling. She’s a young lady who has recently overcome aolcoholism with the help of TSM. Ella very effectively conveys the hopelessness and dispair that alcoholics feel towards ever living a normal life, and the full experience of having your addiction extinguished via the Sinclair Method. This interview is highly recommended for anyone who is considering the Sinclair Method, or those close to someone who is trying it.

Archives of these shows will be posted after they’ve aired.

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NYT article discusses moving alcoholism to primary care

May 12, 2009

In a NYT article, Jane Brody discusses Dr. Willenbring’s push to move initial alcoholism treatment to the general practitioners’ offices. Although the article doesn’t mention TSM or anything involved by name, it does give it a passing mention.

“Within three to four months of starting treatment, naltrexone, when compared with a placebo, can reduce relapse to heavy drinking 20 to 40 percent, Dr. Willenbring said. Some European practitioners claim even greater effectiveness.”

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Impulsiveness linked to alcohol consumption

May 9, 2009

The journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research posted a study that suggests a link between impulsiveness and alcoholism. In the study, rats which were bred with an affinity for alcohol (but which had never had alcohol) were tested against those who were bred for a dislike of alcohol. In the study, the first group displayed a greater tendency to pick small immediate rewards over greater delayed rewards.

In a news release, Dr. Nicholas Grahame states that the result “strongly suggests that impulsivity contributes to high alcohol drinking”. While that conclusion could be made, the study does not established a causal link between impulsivity and drinking. This leaves the possibility that both impulsiveness and drinking stem from a common source like a stronger endorphin response.

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Dr. Eskapa on “Your Second 50 Years”

May 8, 2009

Dr. Roy Eskapa will be interviewed May 19 at 11:45 a.m. EST on the radio show “Your Second 50 Years” on WTTB, AM1490, a commercial station that serves the Vero Beach, Fla. area. 

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