Apricus Biosciences Announces Expansion of Its Nexact® Patent Portfolio
16-Aug-2011
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SAN DIEGO - Apricus Biosciences Inc. announced in a press release the receipt of its latest issued Canadian patent, No. 2,512,015, entitled, "Topical Stabilized Prostaglandin E Compound Dosage Forms." The patent covers a form of the Company's room temperature technology for its Vitaros® product for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. With receipt of this patent, Apricus Bio has approximately 134 patents granted, and 137 patent applications pending in its worldwide portfolio, covering its NexACT® technology and products.
Currently issued patents cover both the NexACT® second and third generation technologies and Apricus Bio's products -- all of which utilize either the second or third generation NexACT® technology.
Specifically, for the NexACT® technology, the Company holds composition of matter patents, generally one of the strongest forms of protection for a biopharmaceutical technology. The Company has patents and patent applications pending not only for the chemical entity of NexACT®, namely DDAIP, but also, for the synthesis of the molecule, the different routes of delivery, the type of molecules it delivers, along with the delivery actions. The patents and patent applications for the NexACT® technology provide certain coverage at the latest until 2030, depending on the patent or patent application subject matter and the country.
Product patents currently provide protection for the Company's pipeline until the latest 2026, depending on the product, the patent subject matter and the country.
"We are very pleased with the issuance of this latest patent, and with the continued growth and breadth of our patent portfolio," stated Dr. Bassam Damaj, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apricus Bio. "The large number of patents and patent applications, and the coverage that we enjoy is a sign of a strong and growing biopharmaceutical company. It is one of our greatest assets and we will continue to protect it as we expand the Company going forward."
Apricus Bio has a current pipeline of 14 products and product candidates, as well as a number of other product candidates in the pre-clinical screening stage. It has one approved product, Vitaros® for erectile dysfunction in Canada, and four later stage products: Femprox® for female sexual arousal disorder, MycoVa™ for onychomycosis (toe nail fungus, excluding Tinea Pedis), PrevOnco® for human hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) and RayVa™ for Raynaud's Syndrome.
At present, Apricus Bio is also awaiting clearance from the FDA to market its first anti-fungal, over-the-counter ("OTC") drug containing the NexACT® technology along with tolnaftate, as the active ingredient for this anti-fungal drug.
Apricus Bio, a San Diego-based, revenue-generating, biopharmaceutical company, has leveraged the flexibility of its clinically-validated NexACT® drug delivery technology to enable multi-route administration of new and improved compounds across numerous therapeutic classes.