Moberg Pharma AB announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued Patent No. 2701681 which protects BUPI, currently in development for oral mucositis.
The new patent covers pharmaceutical compositions comprising a local anesthetic, such as bupivacaine, for local administration to the mouth or throat. The patent also protects lozenge formulations of a local anesthetic for use in the treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients. This patent is expected to provide coverage through at least 2031. Additional patent applications are pending in the United States and Canada.
‘This patent provides Moberg with important intellectual property protection for BUPI, our lozenge formulation of bupivacaine for pain management of oral mucositis in cancer patients,’ commented Peter Wolpert, Moberg Pharma’s CEO. ‘This issuance of this patent is an important milestone for the BUPI development program and part of our overall strategy to establish a broad portfolio of patent claims to protect our proprietary products.’
Earlier in 2016, the Company announced positive Phase 2 results with BUPI in treating pain associated with oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was met with high statistical significance. The Company is moving forward with one Phase 3 trial to be conducted in Europe, co-funded by a grant from Eurostars. A second Phase 3 study will be conducted in India, financed by Moberg’s partner Cadila Pharmaceuticals. The agreement with Cadila in combination with the Eurostars grant means that Moberg’s investment for the BUPI phase 3 program is substantially reduced.
