Taiwan Liposome Co (台灣微脂體) yesterday said it has been granted a patent for its “BioSeizer” drug delivery system platform in the US, which has been used in the company’s ophthalmology drug for macular edema.
The company said in a statement that the US Patent and Trademark Office has approved its patent for its ophthalmic drug delivery system containing phospholipids and cholesterol.
This came after the company secured the patent for prolonging drug lifetime in the eyes from the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand earlier last month.
The company has also filed ophthalmic drug delivery patent applications with the authorities in Taiwan, Europe, Japan, China and Australia.
Applications of the patent include the company’s new drug Prodex, which enables the drug to be in effect for four to six months, according to the company.
Taiwan Liposome said the most common treatment for macular edema involves injecting anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs directly into the vitreous body of the eye using a 22-gauge needle, administered on a monthly basis.
Using Prodex would help to drastically reduce the administration frequency from 12 times to two or three times annually, the company said.
Taiwan Liposome specializes in the development of liposomal drug formulations, polymeric micelles for nanoscale drug delivery and other leading-edge and novel drug delivery mechanisms, as the Nangang Software Park-based (南港軟體園區) company aims to improve the release profile of existing drugs.
The company has gained approvals for its investigational new drug applications for Prodex from Taiwan and US authorities. The drug is now undergoing its phase one and phase two clinical studies, the company added.
Taiwan Liposome did not elaborate on the potential market value of Prodex. However, the company said Lucentis and Eylea, the two current treatments of macular diseases, generate aggregated revenue of close to US$5 billion annually.
Taiwan Liposome shares rose 0.23 percent to NT$219 yesterday on the GRETAI Securities Market before the patent news announcement.
They have dropped 36.52 percent so far this year, underperforming the over-the-counter index’s increase of 7.82 percent over the same period.
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