TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Iodine, known for its potent antibacterial effects, has been in use in a variety of formulations, particularly to disinfect skin and mucosa. However, iodine is an irritant that cannot be administered directly into the body. JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® was developed using a unique method to allow direct iodine administration, primarily against a broad range of cancers. Dr. Ryusuke Fujiki, based on his extensive experience using JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® in various cancer treatment protocols, hopes to notify the medical community that JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® has the potential to be a potent weapon against a range of viral infections, including COVID-19.

COVID-19, the virus rapidly spreading throughout the globe, was first reported in China. From there, it spread to other Asian countries, Europe, and the United States. As the numbers of infected people, critically ill patients, and deaths continue to rise, those numbers are feared to skyrocket as the infection moves to countries in South America and Africa in the Southern Hemisphere. The development of vaccines and treatments will take time. In view of mankind’s history of struggles against swine influenza and various other viruses, we should not be too optimistic about the current situation.

Dr. Ryusuke Fujiki suggests that based on his vast experience with JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® use in cancer patients, this product is likely to be effective against COVID-19.

Dr. Fujiki, the director of Fujiki Hospital which practices multidisciplinary treatment of malignant gastrointestinal tumors, has treated a wide range of cancers from late-stage pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer, to bile duct cancer, colorectal cancer, and leukemia. He is internationally renowned for the use of minimally invasive multidisciplinary treatment protocols that include JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® use.

Medicinally, iodine is familiar to many due to its use in antibacterial products to disinfect the skin or throat such as iodine tinctures and povidone iodine. Iodine also expresses well-documented viricidal activity¹. Because iodine itself² is a strong irritant, these products can only be used to disinfect body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes, and cannot be directly administered into the body.

JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE®, however, is a product that has been uniquely formulated to deliver iodine safely into the body. Although it has not been approved as  a pharmaceutical in Japan, it is approved as Ayurvedic treatment in Sri Lanka.

Clinical use of iodine thus far remains limited to the use of potassium iodine in patients with thyroid disease, particularly victims of the Chernobyl disaster and the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster that occurred during the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, iodine has long been used not only in thyroid disease, but also to treat inflammatory and retinal diseases in ophthalmology and has been shown effective against respiratory conditions such as asthma, and even in neurological disorders and arteriosclerotic disease.

The outstanding pharmacological properties of iodine can safely be utilized in the treatment of cancers and other serious illnesses due to the special JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® formulation.

In the blood, JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® takes the form of iodine ions which the thyroid uses to produce thyroid hormones. Iodine is then delivered throughout the body as protein-bound thyroid hormones. The colloidal form dramatically increases iodine absorption rates, and any unutilized iodine is rapidly excreted. There is thus no fear of iodine accumulation unlike other medications. No resistance to iodine has been reported, it is safe in use, and side effects are extremely limited.

So, how does JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® express its anticancer effects? JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® is absorbed and appears in the bloodstream as iodine ions. This iodine expresses its activity throughout the body in the form of protein-bound thyroid hormone. Iodine acts directly on peripheral lymphocytes to inhibit the proliferation and dissemination of T cells and inhibit the production of cytokines and IgE³. It also acts on fibroblasts to inhibit IL4 and TNFα activation, thus protecting organs from tissue damage. The halogen effects of iodine include antibacterial and antiviral effects, inhibition of inflammation and improvement of cancer microenvironments. It restores mitochondrial function and improves tissue metabolism producing improved glucose metabolism, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-allergy effects which results in anticancer activity.

Iodine is one of the halogens in group 17 and has 53 electrons. It is characterized by significant intermolecular binding via the van der Waals force. When combined with water molecules, iodine becomes an effective cellular antioxidant. Iodine isolate (I²) oxidizes water to create hypoiodous acid and hydrogen iodide. This removes hydroxyl radicals within cells. It is particularly effective in removing any ROS⁴ that originated within mitochondria. In so doing, mitochondrial functionality is restored, the anaerobic cancer tumor environment is converted to an aerobic environment which normalize cells and promote normal activity.

Coronavirus: COVID-19, the pathogen that currently has the world in an uproar, is an enveloped virus with a single plus strand RNA as its viral genome. As with the SARS coronavirus, it invades human host cells via the ACE2 receptor. At this point, the protein-bound iodine from JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® has a high viral affinity, and reacts with the protein membrane on the viral surface, thereby killing the virus. Because viruses are prone to mutate, developing conventional antiviral treatments is akin to a whack-a-mole game. Use of iodine’s unique characteristics, however, destroys the viral protein membrane and is effective regardless of viral species. Thus, iodine will remain effective even against novel viruses.

JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® can be administered by intravenous infusion, orally, or through inhalation. Dr. Fujiki has noted that there is a high probability that various combinations of these three modes of administration can be used to treat COVID-19 patients, regardless of disease stage. Patients with less serious symptoms could ingest it at home, or in an absorptive format, using a portable nebulizer without visiting a hospital. The use of JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® eye drops or nose drops may help prevent viral spread and lower the load on medical facilities.

Dr. Fujiki has said that this unique colloidal formulation offers diverse applications beyond mere cancer treatment. He went on to note that colloidal iodine proves revolutionary among the many drugs developed in Japan over this past century, and that with its high tissue absorption rate, its effectiveness has yet to be fully gauged, and it should be employed to fight the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Notes

JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE® has not yet received drug approval in Japan.

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

For further information:

IMS Co., Ltd.

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Kenichi Hirose, PR & IR Division

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