ORAHEALTH in the News Press Releases

January 13, 2005

Life-long Sufferer Fights Back and Invents First OTC Medication that Heals Canker Sores

Cankermelts-GX Now Sold in NW Indiana and NE Illinois at Fagen Pharmacy.

DEMOTTE, IN – Fagen Pharmacy and Orahealth USA announce the introduction of a new treatment that heals canker sores called Cankermelts-GX. The product was invented by Jeff Haley, a successful patent attorney with degrees in law, chemistry, and engineering who set out to cure his own canker sores. The only over-the-counter medication that heals canker sores in one to four days, Cankermelts-GX is now available at Fagen Pharmacies in NW Indiana and adjoining parts of Illinois.

Canker sores are acutely painful sores that appear inside the mouth. For some, they are an isolated annoyance that appears infrequently. For others, however, canker sores cause intense, persistent pain that is impossible to ignore and can last two weeks, interfering with eating and talking.

Many people confuse canker sores with cold sores. While cold sores occur outside the mouth, are caused by the herpes virus, and are contagious, canker sores are not contagious - they are similar to allergies. Canker sores occur inside the mouth where the mucous lining has thinned or been cut. Some people believe that certain foods trigger canker sores, however, genetics and stress are the known culprits. Canker sores recurrently afflict over fifty million Americans, or 20 percent of the population.

In a story that could be out of a Hollywood movie, life long canker sore sufferer Haley finally got fed up with the pain, numbness, messy globs of ineffective gels, and mouth washes. He said, “I tried every product, most of which were difficult to apply. At best, they merely numbed or covered my sores and tasted terrible. I probably turned down good food at dinner four times a month for the past forty years because of these sores. I told myself that a better solution had to exist and I set out to find that solution.”

Hundred hour work weeks became the norm while Haley practiced law by day and combed medical journals at night and on weekends. Finally, he found an article in an Indian medical journal that shed light on Glycyrrhiza extract (GX) as a possible herbal treatment for canker sores. Haley tested GX and discovered that, not only did it greatly reduce pain, it also significantly sped up healing. Unfortunately, the solution had an intolerably intense flavor and had to be used as a mouth wash many times a day. Haley had a second problem to solve – how to get the medicine into a form that would be subtle and pleasant tasting as well as easy to use.

The Haley family kitchen became his research laboratory while Jeff mixed, heated, cooled, and dried over 250 combinations of food gum ingredients with different types of GX, looking for the right combination to form an oral patch that would adhere on or near the sore and slowly deliver the medication.. Two long years later, having acted as the primary tester throughout the course of his experimentations, Haley had invented an effective oral patch that will delight canker sore sufferers around the world. “For the first time in my life I was actually glad I had recurrent canker sores. Otherwise, my research would have been impossible,” says Haley.

To validate his findings, Haley solicited testers from around the country with a web site. Volunteers who responded were provided with alternative versions of the product and asked to critique the flavor, size and shape. More importantly, each was asked to report whether the treatment speeded healing and/or relieved pain. The results were overwhelmingly positive on both counts, and, as a result, Haley obtained a grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund clinical trials at the University of Washington. Results of Haley’s first study will be presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 20, 2005 in Washington, D.C. The University of Washington anticipates completion of its study by March.

Mikke Lindblom started using Cankermelts on his canker sores as a participant in the University of Washington clinical trials, though he didn’t know at the time whether he was using the active product or a placebo. Upon completion of his trial in the study, Mike had this to say: “Absolutely incredible! I’ve had canker sores since I was 7 years old…almost 30 years. At times, they got to be the size of a dime. My siblings and I have all tried everything – tetracycline, over the counter rinses, mouthwashes, I-lysine – you name it, we’ve tried it…and they didn’t help much. I want to say a HUGE thank you!! I’ve just emailed my entire family to tell them about Cankermelts because I want them to get the relief and healing I did! Brilliant! Thank you Mr. Haley, for your work to create something that finally, FINALLY, works!”

Today sold as Cankermelts-GX, the patented delivery system is a medicated disc, slightly smaller than a dime, that adheres (within one to two minutes) inside the mouth on or near the sore. As the time-released Glycyrrhiza extract (GX) is delivered, the disc naturally dissolves over two to six hours. Cankermelts can be used comfortably during any activity, including sleeping and exercising and, for most canker sore locations, do not interfere with normal functions, such as swallowing, chewing or talking. The product also effectively heals other ordinary mouth sores, including denture sores and cuts from braces or biting your lip or cheek.

“If applied promptly at the onset of a new sore, Cankermelts heal the sore before it hurts,” Haley claims, “People prone to canker sores will want to store Cankermelts in their medicine cabinets at all times, just like aspirin, cold medications and bandages.”

Cankermelts debuted online at Amazon.com, quickly becoming a top-selling item. In Washington state drug stores, it has consistently outsold all previously available canker sore treatments since its introduction in September.

“We’re excited to be among the first retail chains in the country to carry a revolutionary product like Cankermelts. Based on its effectiveness, we expect it will soon become the national leader among canker sore treatments,” said Gerald A. Fagen, Fagen Pharmacy CEO.

Formed in 2002, Orahealth Corporation is committed to providing the most effective medical treatments for healing and preventing canker sores and other ordinary mouth sores. The privately-owned company is based in Bellevue, Washington.

Family-owned Fagen Pharmacy operates 23 stores and has been serving northwest Indiana and adjoining parts of Illinois for more than 30 years.