GLEN ALLEN, Va., March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Star
Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: CIGX) announced that the US Patent
& Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice of Allowance on
February 16, 2012 in Application No.
12/342,192 by Jonnie Williams, entitled "Tobacco Curing
Method", formally granting patent claims for a new method of
curing tobacco. The written patent will issue from the
USPTO within the next several months. The '192 application
discloses the minimizing of TSNA (tobacco-specific nitrosamine)
formation in tobacco by subjecting it to a controlled environment
while a majority of the leaf is in a green, uncured state. The
process, therefore, represents an improvement over the method
described in the Williams '649 patent; Star Scientific
believes it is particularly well-suited for curing tobacco for use
in smokeless tobacco products.
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"The significance of the decision by the USPTO to grant these
novel claims cannot be overstated," said Paul L Perito, Esq,
Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer of Star Scientific.
"The new tobacco curing technology developed by Mr. Williams now
makes it possible to reduce the levels of a class of known
carcinogenic toxins in cured tobacco to nearly undetectable
levels. We believe that the 2009 Tobacco Control Act
requirement that tobacco companies list the harmful constituents in
their products, when implemented, may encourage those companies to
reduce toxins where the technology for those reductions is
available."
The Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA, as mandated by the
2009 Tobacco Act, is required to publish a list of harmful and
potentially harmful compounds, and the levels of each compound by
tobacco product brand offerings. The stated purpose of this
initiative is to inform and educate the public about the range and
scope of harmful and potentially harmful elements in tobacco
products. The FDA in December
2011 published a request for comments on a study it is
conducting to identify the most effective means of communicating
this information to the public. Therefore, that list has not
been finalized; however, TSNAs were unanimously identified by the
Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Subcommittee for inclusion in
the list at the beginning of this process. The company
believes that when the list becomes public, it should allow adult
tobacco users to identify differences in the toxin levels,
including TSNAs, contained in various tobacco products. TSNAs
were first identified approximately fifty years ago as one of the
most lethal and abundant groups of toxins in tobacco leaf and
smoke.
Certain statements contained in this release constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include,
but are not limited to statements identified by words such as
"believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends,"
"plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The
statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and
expectations of our company's management and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from
those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors
could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not
limited to, the challenges inherent in new product development
initiatives, including the continued development and market
acceptance of our nutraceutical and low-TSNA tobacco products, our
ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our
ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary
to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or
regulation, including with respect to our nutraceutical and
low-TSNA tobacco products, as well as other risks discussed from
time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including, without limitation, our annual report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2010. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking
statement or any information contained in this press release or in
other public disclosures at any time.
About Star Scientific
Star Scientific is a technology-oriented company with a mission to
reduce the harm associated with tobacco at every level. It is
engaged in the development of dissolvable smokeless tobacco
products that deliver fewer carcinogenic toxins, principally
through the utilization of the innovative StarCured® tobacco curing
technology. Its subsidiary, Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is
involved in the development of nutraceuticals as well as products
to address neurological and mood disorders. Rock Creek
Pharmaceuticals has scientific and research offices in Gloucester, MA, and a regulatory office in
Washington, D.C. Star Scientific
has a Corporate and Sales Office in Glen
Allen, VA, an Executive, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
office in Bethesda, MD, and a
manufacturing facility in Chase City,
VA.
Contact:
Sara Troy Machir
Vice President, Communications & Investor Relations
(301) 654-8300
SOURCE Star Scientific, Inc.