Fibrotech secures patents in NA for fibrosis drugs

Melbourne-based Fibrotech Therapeutics has been granted patents in the US and Canada covering a prospective new class of drugs to treat fibrosis.

The company has secured composition of matter patents in each jurisdiction related to its proprietary antifibrotic compounds.

The new patents grant greater protection to Fibrotech’s lead product, FT011, an antifibrotic being developed to prevent the tissue fibrosis associated with diabetic nephropathy. FT011 entered phase I trials in 2013.

“We are poised to announce phase I results for our lead product so the granting of these patents is timely and will help us greatly in ongoing partnering discussions,” Fibrotech CEO Professor Darren Kelly commented.

FT011 is one of around 150 analogues of transilast in Fibrotech’s portfolio. Transilast is an off-patent antifibrotic agent approved for the treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in Japan.

Fibrotech was founded in 2006 based on research from University of Melbourne’s Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital and the Bio21 Institute.