LEV PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: LEVP.OB)

Dear Reader,

It’s easy to like the biotech sector. It's just tough to find the right companies. In our usual StockUpTicks manner, we've been spending a good deal of time discussing biotech companies and their prospects with experts in the arena. Believing that expiring patents and other factors could drive heightened interest in this area of the market we've been taking notes from biotech CEO’s (private and public) as well as consultants who have been instrumental in research and development at leading universities and public companies. 

And today, we are pleased to bring you the story of Lev Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: LEVP.OB)., a biotech company focused on inflammatory diseases and heading into a Phase III clinical trial with its treatment for hereditary angioedema.  As biotech investors will tell you, a Phase III clinical trial indicates that Lev is further down the road with its science than many biotech companies will ever go. This, we believe, warrants your attention to today's profile and a post-it with “LEVP.OB” on your desktop. 

Please review the full StockUpTicks profile below and expect continuing coverage of this emerging biotech company from us in the weeks to come. Hopefully, the biotech stocks we expose can be healthy for your portfolio. 
 

About Lev Pharmaceuticals

Lev Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Lev” or “the Company”) is a biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The Company's product candidates are based on C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), a human plasma protein that mediates inflammation. LevPharma has certain rights to C1-INH technology through agreements with Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation ("Sanquin"), an Amsterdam-based not-for-profit organization that provides blood and plasma products and related services, carries out research and provides education, primarily in the Netherlands. 

Lev’s lead program is the development of C1-INH for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). HAE is a rare genetic disorder characterized by episodic attacks of edema (swelling) in various parts of the body, most seriously the airway passages. The disease is caused by a deficiency of C1-INH, and there are approximately 10,000 patients with HAE in the United States. 

Sanquin has been producing and selling successive generations of C1-INH, prepared from human plasma, in the Netherlands for over 30 years for the treatment of HAE. Continuous product development efforts at Sanquin have resulted in the current, highly purified product which has been marketed since 1997. Despite its long record of use in Europe, however, C1-INH, has never been introduced in the United States. Through a supply and distribution agreement with Sanquin, Lev has the exclusive right to market and sell C1-INH prepared by Sanquin for the treatment of HAE in North America and certain other geographic regions. 

In the third quarter of 2004 Lev filed an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase III clinical trial of C1-INH for the treatment of HAE. Lev intends to initiate this Phase III clinical trial during the first half of 2005. In July 2004 the Company received orphan drug designation from the FDA for C1-esterase inhibitor (human) in treating hereditary angioedema. Upon product licensure, this designation could provide Lev with seven years of marketing exclusivity for its C1-INH product as a treatment for HAE in the United States. 

Lev is also developing C1-INH as a treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as heart attack. AMI is caused by an obstruction of blood flow to the heart, and there are approximately 1,200,000 patients with AMI in the United States annually, resulting in an estimated 500,000 directly attributable deaths. Current treatments for AMI, both surgical and pharmaceutical, are directed at restoring blood flow to heart tissue or preventing further obstruction. Despite a widespread appreciation for the role of inflammation in AMI in both the scientific and medical communities, no presently available treatments directly target the mechanisms of inflammation. Based on preliminary animal and clinical data, the Company believes C1-INH may be useful as a treatment for AMI. 

The process of inflammation underlies a number of other serious diseases including gram-negative septicemia and inflammatory bowel disease, and is now also understood to play a role in other disorders previously thought to be unrelated to inflammation, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. As a potent mediator of inflammation, C1-INH has been examined as a potential treatment for some of these other diseases, in animal studies, and in a limited number of disorders, in clinical studies as well. Based on these studies, and on the role C1-INH is known to play in inhibiting key inflammatory pathways, Lev intends to develop C1-INH for certain other diseases and disorders. The Company believes the extensive clinical experience with C1-INH in treating HAE in Europe will facilitate its introduction into other clinical indications. 

Lev’s management team has broad experience in the formation, financing and management of biotechnology companies, and in the development of therapeutics for the treatment of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Management's expertise and track record may allow the Company to develop and commercialize a portfolio of C1-INH products. 
 

The Lev Strategy       The Lev goal is to create a biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes a portfolio of C1-INH products that offer improved efficacy and safety characteristics over existing treatments.  The key elements of strategy are to:   •   complete the development of the lead product candidate, C1-INH for the treatment of HAE;   •   advance the second product candidate, C1-INH for the treatment of AMI, into pre-clinical development in the United States; and  •   selectively develop C1-INH for additional therapeutic indications.

Lev Products and Technology

Lev is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Lev was formed in July 2003 and on December 28, 2004 merged with Fun City Popcorn, Inc., to launch Lev as a publicly traded company. 

Lev’s product candidates are based on C1-esterase inhibitor (“C1-INH”), a human plasma protein that mediates inflammation and is potentially applicable as a treatment for a range of medical indications.  The Company  has certain rights to C1-INH technology through agreements with Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation ("Sanquin"), an Amsterdam-based not-for-profit organization that provides blood and plasma products and related services, carries out research and provides education, primarily in the Netherlands. 

The Company expects to initiate a Phase III clinical trial of the Company's lead product candidate, C1-INH for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (“HAE”), in the first half of 2005.  Lev is also developing C1-INH for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (“AMI”), or heart attack, and selective other diseases and disorders in which inflammation is known or believed to play an underlying role. 
 

ABOUT C1 TECHNOLOGY

C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) is a human plasma protein that mediates inflammation and coagulation. In Europe, C1-INH, produced by several manufacturers, has been used to treat HAE safely and effectively for more than 30 years, and is widely accepted as the treatment of choice for HAE. It is this extensive record of safety and efficacy that provides the basis for the Lev lead program, the development of C1-INH in the United States for the treatment of HAE. 

Beyond this impressive record of clinical experience, however, C1-INH is also a well-characterized and well-understood molecule that is known to play a key role regulating the complex biochemical interactions of blood-based systems involved in inflammation and coagulation. C1-INH is known to be either a major or minor inhibitor of at least seven proteins involved in these systems. More specifically, C1-INH is known to inhibit three key biochemical pathways underlying inflammation and/or coagulation – the complement system, the contact pathway of intrinsic coagulation and the fibrinolytic system. 

Under normal circumstances, these systems play important roles in defending the body from infection, injury and disease and in repairing tissue damage. If improperly controlled, however, these same systems can cause or contribute to disease and tissue damage. Excessive activity in one or more of these systems is known or believed to contribute to a number of diseases or disorders, including: myocardial infarction (AMI), ischemic-reperfusion injury, inflammatory bowel disease, gram-negative septicemia, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke. 

Based on (i) the demonstrated role of these inflammatory pathways in specific diseases, (ii) the known function of C1-INH in regulating these pathways, and (iii) the extensive clinical experience in using C1-INH to treat HAE, C1-INH has been extensively studied, both clinically and pre-clinically, as a potential treatment for a number of diseases. Lev management intends to leverage and extend these studies to develop a portfolio of products based on C1-INH. 

HAE is a genetic disorder characterized by episodes of edema (swelling) in various parts of the body, most notably the hands, feet, face and airway passages. In addition, the majority of patients often have stretches of severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting that is caused by swelling in the intestinal wall. Attacks that involve the face and throat must be taken seriously and medical treatment should be sought without delay. Swelling of the throat can close the air passage and cause death by suffocation. The mortality rate from untreated airway obstruction has been reported to be over 30% with death most frequently caused by asphyxiation due to airway closure. The course of the disease is diverse and unpredictable, even within a single patient over his lifetime. Swelling caused by HAE usually lasts for 24-72 hours, but the length of an attack can range from four hours to four days.  On average, patients experience approximately one attack per month, but the frequency is highly variable.  As many as five to 10% of patients are severely affected, experiencing attacks one to three times per week.  HAE affects between 1:10,000 and 1:50,000 individuals worldwide, and it is estimated there are approximately 10,000 patients with HAE in the United States.

HAE is caused by a defective gene for C1-INH, and this defect is passed on in families - a child has a 50% chance of inheriting this disease if one parent is affected. The absence of family history, however, does not rule out HAE diagnosis, and as many as 20% of HAE cases involve patients who appear to have had a spontaneous mutation of the C1-INH gene at conception. The genetic defect results in production of either inadequate or nonfunctioning C1-INH protein. 

Normal C1-INH helps to regulate the complex biochemical interactions of blood-based systems involved in inflammation and coagulation, and C1-INH is known to be either a major or minor inhibitor of at least seven proteins involved in these systems.  More specifically, C1-INH is known to inhibit three key biochemical pathways underlying inflammation and/or coagulation – the complement system, the contact pathway of intrinsic coagulation and the fibrinolytic system. Excessive activity of each of these systems has been demonstrated in HAE, as evidenced by increased levels of components of the complement system, kallikrein, coagulation Factors XIa and XIIa, and plasmin.  The biochemical imbalance that results from reduced levels of functional C1-INH leads to the production of proteins and peptides that cause fluids to be released from the capillaries into surrounding tissues thereby causing edema. 

Current Treatments

Treatment of HAE can be categorized as:  (i) preventive treatments for patients severely affected by HAE ; and (ii) mitigation treatments to remedy the symptoms of infrequent episodic acute attacks. The only currently available treatments in the United States for severe attacks are anabolic steroids, pain control and rehydration.  Restriction of the inciting activity (e.g. repetitive motion such as typing or hammering) is also advised, however the trigger is often unknown.  Current treatments for HAE in the United States do not prevent all attacks and have adverse side effects.

Long-term prevention therapy is recommended for patients who experience more than one attack per month, or who believe the disease significantly interferes with their quality of life.  Most of these patients are currently treated with anabolic steroids that act as prophylactics to prevent attacks of edema.  The most commonly used steroids are alpha-alkylated androgens such as stanozolol and danazol.  Although these drugs are effective in reducing the number and severity of the most serious attacks, they do not prevent all attacks.  In addition, use of such anabolic steroids can have numerous side effects ranging from hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity), virilization (development of male sexual characteristics in a female), weight gain, acne and hirsutism (unwanted hair growth).  Another preventive treatment is the use of freshly frozen plasma, or FFP, which contains C1-INH, but which also contains a wide variety of other factors that may activate multiple inflammatory pathways and exacerbate an attack.

There are currently no approved treatments for acute attacks available in the United States.  Rather, current therapies primarily focus upon treating the symptoms of an acute attack.  For swelling of the intestinal wall, which can cause debilitating pain, narcotics such as morphine and antiemetics for nausea are given, but these medications only address the symptoms and not the underlying cause.  For severe laryngeal swelling, which can be life threatening, rescue therapy such as intubation or tracheotomy may be required.  There are no treatments available for swelling of the face or extremities. 

C1-Esterase Inhibitor 

Hereditary angioedema can be effectively treated with intravenous administration of C1-INH purified from human plasma.  In Europe, C1-INH, produced by several manufacturers, has been used to treat HAE safely and effectively for more than 30 years, and is widely accepted by HAE associations around the globe as the treatment of choice for acute attacks of HAE.  It can be used to treat acutely, when there is an attack, or prophylactically, to prevent attacks, depending on the severity of the case. The treatment concept is similar to hemophilia, in which a patient is treated regularly with the particular clotting factor in which he is deficient.  In spite of this long record of safety and efficacy in Europe, C1-INH has never been introduced in the United States, and it is Lev's objective to bring C1-INH to the United States for the treatment of patients with HAE.

The Lev first product candidate, C1-INH prepared from human plasma, is being developed for both acute and prophylactic treatment of HAE.  C1-INH is given by intravenous administration.  Published studies by others have shown C1-INH treatment to resolve angioedema in 30 minutes to two hours, compared to 24-72 hours when untreated.  A research study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996, provided evidence that this treatment was safe and effective for both prevention of attacks and as an acute attack therapy - rapid resolution of laryngeal, facial, abdominal and extremity swelling was observed.  A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2001 concluded C1-INH to be highly effective in treating the laryngeal edema of HAE with rapid resolution of symptoms.  Lev believes these studies, and others showing comparable efficacy, are representative of the extensive European clinical experience using C1-INH as a treatment for HAE for more than 30 years. 

In the third quarter of 2004, Lev filed an Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to begin a Phase III clinical trial of C1-INH for treating HAE in the United States.  Lev intends to initiate this clinical trial - a multi-center, placebo-controlled, double-blind study – in the first half of 2005.  The study is designed to examine the use of C1-INH in both treating acute attacks of angioedema and in preventing the onset of such attacks.  In July 2004 Lev received orphan drug designation from the FDA for C1-INH (human) in treating angioedema.  Upon product licensure, this designation could provide Lev with seven years of marketing exclusivity for its C1-INH product as a treatment for HAE in the United States as well as certain tax credits and eligibility for certain government grants.
 

Acute Myocardial Infarction Background

Myocardial infarction (“AMI”), commonly known as heart attack, is a sudden, life-threatening cardiac disorder caused by an obstruction of blood flow to the heart.  The major symptom of AMI is chest discomfort, but associated symptoms include nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and dizziness.  AMIs vary in severity and symptoms, and the intensity of the systems depends on the size of the area of heart muscle affected by the infarction. Clinical diagnosis of AMI is typically based on elevation of two cardiac enzymes, creatine phosphokinase and troponin, markers considered highly reliable measures of cardiac injury.

AMI results in the development of myocardial necrosis, or death of heart cells or tissue, due to ischemia (lack of oxygen). The heart cells are not supplied with sufficient oxygen to meet their metabolic requirements. The most common cause of AMI is atherosclerosis or the accumulation of plaques in the arterial wall.  Plaques can rupture and form a thrombus, or clot, that partially or totally blocks arterial blood flow.  Patients with this condition suffer the disruption of the normal pattern of contractions of the heart muscle leading to atrial fibrillation (rapid uncontrolled beat) and/or heart failure. There are approximately 1,200,000 patients with AMI in the United States annually, resulting in an estimated 500,000 directly attributable deaths. 

Current Treatments

Current treatments for AMI are limited and are aimed at restoring blood flow, improving tissue oxygenation and preventing further arterial obstruction. The first line of treatment usually includes oxygen (to reduce the workload of the heart), aspirin (to inhibit further clot formation), nitroglycerin (to reduce the oxygen requirements of the heart) and morphine (for pain).  Fibrinolytic drugs, such as streptokinase, urokinase or alteplase, are administered to dissolve clots, and heparin is given as an anticoagulant to prevent further clot formation.  Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or PTCA, is commonly performed to restore blood flow to the affected coronary artery, a procedure that may involve the placement of a stent to prevent closure of the vessel.  In some cases, coronary arterial bypass graft surgery (CABG) may be required.  Antiplatelet medications, such as aspirin and clopidogrel, have become a cornerstone of therapy for AMI.  These medications prevent the accumulation of platelets, a trigger event in clot formation.  Newer strategies include the use of platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa receptor inhibitors, low molecular weight heparin and Factor Xa inhibitors.

C1-Esterase Inhibitor

Current treatments for AMI, both surgical and pharmaceutical, are directed at restoring blood flow to heart tissue or preventing further obstruction.  The later stages of cardiac cell injury during AMI, however, result at least in part from an inflammatory response.  Activation of the complement system has been demonstrated, inflammatory mediators have been identified, and certain anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to reduce infarct size in animal models.  Despite a widespread appreciation for the role of inflammation in AMI in both the scientific and medical communities, no presently available treatments directly target the mechanisms of inflammation.  Based on preliminary animal and clinical data, management believes C1-INH may be useful as a treatment for AMI.

Two of the major inflammatory pathways believed to be involved in AMI are the complement system and the contact pathway of intrinsic coagulation.  C1-INH is an important inhibitor of both of these pathways and, therefore, may provide a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of AMI.  C1-INH has been studied extensively in animal models of myocardial infarction in rat, pig, cat and dog models. In these studies, C1-INH was shown both to restore blood flow and to reduce cardiac damage.  The use of C1-INH in treating AMI has also been studied in a preliminary clinical trial published in the European Heart Journal in 2002.   In 13 patients, release of troponin T and creatine kinase MB, two accepted biochemical markers of cardiac damage, were reduced by 36% and 57%, respectively, compared to 18 controls.  Lev has entered into an exclusive world-wide license with Sanquin for the use of C1-INH for the treatment of AMI. 

Other Indications

The process of inflammation underlies a number of serious diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and is now also understood to play a role in other disorders previously thought to be unrelated to inflammation, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.  C1-INH has been examined as a potential treatment for some of these diseases, in animal studies, and in a limited number of disorders, in clinical studies as well.  C1-INH has been studied in animal models of pancreatitis, lung transplantation, burn injuries and traumatic shock.   Preliminary clinical studies have been done in coronary bypass surgery, gram-negative septicemia and bone marrow transplantation.  Based on these studies, and on the role C1-INH is known to play in inhibiting key inflammatory pathways, Lev intends to develop C1-INH for certain additional diseases and disorders.  Lev management believes the extensive clinical experience with C1-INH in treating HAE in Europe will facilitate its introduction into other clinical indications.
 

Corporate Summary

aaaaaa

The Lev lead program is the development of C1-INH for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (“HAE”).  HAE is a rare genetic disorder characterized by episodic attacks of edema (swelling) in the extremities, the gastrointestinal tract, and, most seriously, the airway passages.  The disease is caused by a deficiency of C1-INH, and there are approximately 10,000 patients with HAE in the United States. 

Sanquin has been producing and selling successive generations of C1-INH, prepared from human plasma, in the Netherlands for over 30 years for the treatment of HAE.   Continuous product development efforts at Sanquin have resulted in the current, highly purified product which has been marketed since 1997.  Despite its long record of use in Europe, however, C1-INH, has never been introduced in the United States.  Through a supply and distribution agreement with Sanquin, Lev has the exclusive right to market and sell C1-INH prepared by Sanquin for the treatment of HAE in North America and certain other geographic regions.

In the third quarter of 2004 Lev filed an Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to begin a Phase III clinical trial of C1-INH for the treatment of HAE.  Lev intends to initiate this Phase III clinical trial during the first half of 2005.  In July 2004 the company received orphan drug designation from the FDA for C1-esterase inhibitor (human) in treating hereditary angioedema.  Upon product licensure, this designation could provide Lev with seven years of marketing exclusivity for its C1-INH product as a treatment for HAE in the United States.

Lev is also developing C1-INH as a treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as heart attack.  AMI is caused by an obstruction of blood flow to the heart, and there are approximately 1,200,000 patients with AMI in the United States annually, resulting in an estimated 500,000 directly attributable deaths. Current treatments for AMI, both surgical and pharmaceutical, are directed at restoring blood flow or preventing further obstruction.  Despite a widespread appreciation for the role of inflammation in AMI in both the scientific and medical communities, no presently available treatments directly target the mechanisms of inflammation.  Based on preliminary animal and clinical data, Lev believes C1-INH may be useful as a treatment for AMI.

The process of inflammation underlies a number of other serious diseases, including gram-negative septicemia and inflammatory bowel disease, and is now also understood to play a role in other disorders previously thought to be unrelated to inflammation, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.  As a potent mediator of inflammation, C1-INH has been examined as a potential treatment for some of these diseases, in animal studies, and in a limited number of disorders, in clinical studies as well.  Based on these studies, and on the role C1-INH is known to play in inhibiting key inflammatory pathways, LEV intends to develop C1-INH for certain other diseases and disorders.  Lev management believes the extensive clinical experience with C1-INH in treating HAE in Europe will facilitate its introduction into other clinical indications.
 

Coverage of Lev

LevPharma is a new entry into the world of HAE clinical trials. The Company will market a C1-INH product that is manufactured from US plasma by the Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation ("Sanquin"), a not-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands that provides a variety of blood and plasma products. Sanquin has been producing and selling successive generations of human plasma derived C1-INH in the Netherlands for over 30 years.  LevPharma intends to initiate a phase III clinical trial during the first half of 2005.

2005 HAE Conference Agenda Raddisson Hotel 2875 N. Milwaukee Avenue Northbrook, IL 60062. Friday, April 15, 2005 10:30am-11:15am Lev Pharma presentation  on their phase 3 trial of C1INH concentrate. Click on the logo to the left for the entire HAEA agenda for the day

Lev Management Team and Directors

Joshua D. Schein, Ph.D. is a founder of the Company and has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director since the commencement of operations in July 2003.  Dr. Schein has been involved in the formation and financing of biotechnology companies for 14 years, frequently serving in senior management positions.  Dr. Schein is a founder of a number of publicly-traded biotechnology companies, including SIGA Technologies, Inc., DepoMed, Inc., and Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  Mr. Cooper is also a founder of Virologix Corp., a biotechnology company that was acquired by Access Pharmaceuticals, a publicly-traded company, and HemoxyMed, Inc., a medical technology company now part of Applied NeuroSolutions, Inc., a publicly-traded company.  Since 1997, Dr. Schein has been a principal of Prism Ventures LLC, a privately held limited liability company focused on the biotechnology industry.  Dr. Schein received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, an MBA from the Columbia Graduate School of Business, and a B.A. in biochemistry from Brandeis University. 

Yanina Wachtfogel is a founder of the Company and has served as a senior executive since the commencement of operations in July 2003 and as Lev's Chief Scientific Officer since February 2004.  Ms. Wachtfogel has extensive experience in the development of therapeutics for the treatment of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Wachtfogel served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Scientific Affairs for Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, from 2001 to 2003.  Previously, Ms. Wachtfogel was Senior Manager, Scientific Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology/Immunology and Medical Education Specialist at Merck & Co., Inc.

Jason Bablak has served as Lev's Vice President, Regulatory Affairs since February 2003.  From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Bablak served as Vice President, Public Policy and Legal Affairs for the Immune Deficiency Foundation (“IDF”) and as Vice-President and General Counsel of Primaryimmune Services Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDF.  Previously, Mr. Bablak served as Director, Regulatory Affairs for the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association and as Regulatory Counsel for the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association.  From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Bablak was a contract attorney for Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman.  Mr. Bablak received his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Douglas J. Beck, C.P.A. has served as Lev's Controller since February 2005.  From September 2004 to October 2004, Mr. Beck served as a consultant to Pfizer, Inc.  From December 2002 to September 2004, Mr. Beck served in various capacities with Diversified Security Solutions, Inc., including Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. From November 2000 to December 2002, Mr. Beck was a financial consultant to various companies.  >From March 2000 to October 2000, Mr. Beck served as Director of Financial Reporting for Urbanfetch.com, Inc. and from December 1998 to March 2000, Mr. Beck was an audit manager with Andersen LLP. 

Scott Eagle has served as a Director since December 2004.  Since November 1998, Mr. Eagle has been Vice President of marketing at Claria Corporation, a leading behavioral online marketing firm where he manages the marketing team and oversees business development and partnership activities.  Prior to joining Claria, Mr. Eagle was the Vice President of marketing at Concentric Network Corporation from 1996 to 1998.  Before Concentric, from 1993 to 1996, Mr. Eagle served as Vice President of Marketing at MFS Communications where he launched regional marketing campaigns for the start-up MFS Intelenet subsidiary.  Mr. Eagle began his career at Procter & Gamble in marketing and new product development for consumer packaged goods, managing brands such as Formula 44 and Chloraseptic.  Mr. Eagle holds a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.

Eric I. Richman has served as a Director since December 2004.  Since October 2003, Mr. Richman has been Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning at PharmAthene, Inc., a private biotechnology company.  From 2000 to 2003, he was Vice President, Corporate Development at MaxCyte, Inc., a private biotechnology company.  Mr. Richman was part of the founding team at MedImmune, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, holding various administrative, financial, strategic planning, marketing and international positions between 1988 and 2000, including Director, Internal Commercialization with MedImmune, Inc. (1998-2000), and Senior Director of Transplantation Products (1993-1998).  He was a key member on the launch teams for the company’s biotechnology products, both domestically and internationally.  Mr. Richman received a B.S. degree in Biomedical Science in 1984 from the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education (CUNY Medical School) and an M.B.A. in 1987 from the American Graduate School in International Management.

Thomas Lanier has served as a Director since December 2004.  Mr. Lanier has served as Financial Attache in the Office of International Affairs, U.S. Treasury, Moscow since 2003.  >From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Lanier was an International Advisor for the U.S. Department of the Treasury during which time he co-wrote the U.S. Treasury's guide to external debt issuance for emerging market borrowers. From 1988 until 1996 Mr. Lanier worked for Chemical Bank as a U.S. Government Bond Trader (1988-1993), Emerging Markets Salesperson (1993-1994) and Emerging Markets Debt Trader (1994-1996).  In 1981 Mr. Lanier graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree.  Prior to leaving the Army in 1986, he also graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne School and the U.S. Army Flight School and was responsible for planning, organizing and controlling logistical operations on an international project for the Army Chief of Staff.  In 1998, Mr. Lanier received a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and marketing from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
 

Financial Highlights For LEVP.OB

a

Last Trade: $1.70 (as of 03-07-05)   Range: $1.69-$1.70 (03-07-05) 52-Week High  $2.50 (01/03/05) 52-Week Low  $0.15 (05/28/04)

Shares (Millions) 76.303  Market Cap (Millions) $128.953 Float (Millions) 1.892 State of Inc. Delaware

 
ONE YEAR CHARTS

To Contact Lev

---

*** The Bull is Running. ***
There may never be a better time to feature YOUR company
to over 1 MILLION investors.

To learn more about our programs email us directly at info@stockupticks.com

Disclaimer: StockUpTicks.com is a property of Market Pathways Financial Relations Incorporated (MP).  The information, opinions and analysis contained herein are based on sources believed to be reliable but no representation, expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This report is a paid advertisement and is for information purposes only and should not be used as the basis for any investment decision.  MP has been paid seventeen thousand five hundred dollars by Lev Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for preparation and distribution of this report and other advertising services over the next 90 days. This constitutes a conflict of interest as to MP’s ability to remain objective in its communication regarding the subject company.  Write or call MP for detailed disclosure as required by Rule 17b of the Securities Act of 1933/1934 - Market Pathways 1920 Main Street, Suite 980, Irvine, CA  92614.  MP is not an investment advisor and this report is not investment advice. This information is neither a solicitation to buy nor an offer to sell securities but is a paid advertisement.  Information contained herein contains forward-looking statements and is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, which will affect the results.  The opinions contained herein reflect our current judgment and are subject to change without notice. MP and/or its affiliates, associates and employees from time to time may have either a long or short position in securities mentioned.  Information contained herein may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of Market Pathways Financial Relations Incorporated.