Starpharma secures dendrimer patents

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has secured three new US patents covering its dendrimer drug delivery platform and is slated to receive similar protection in China.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Starpharma patents providing “composition of matter” protection covering the function of Starpharma’s dendrimers in drug delivery.

Starpharma said the new US patents extend its patent protection in the US through to 2029.

China’s patent office has separately allowed a similarly broad drug delivery patent, which will be granted once an administrative process concludes. This patent will be valid until 2027.

Starpharma CEO Dr Jackie Fairley said the new patents “provide a firm footing for the commercialisation of our drug delivery technology, via our internal programs and work with partners”.

She said the broad claims in the patents are not limited to disease area, route of delivery or drug delivered.

Starpharma’s drug delivery platform involves reformulating existing drugs using dendrimers - artificial nanoscale compounds - to create synthetic macromolecules with the potential to be safer and more effective than the original drugs.

The company’s lead internal product is VivaGel, an antimicrobial under development for sexual health purposes.
Starpharma was last year forced to abandon plans to file a new drug application with the US FDA for VivaGel as a cure for bacterial vaginosis (BV), after a phase III trial failed to meet its primary endpoints.

 But the company is still pursuing approval for VivaGel as a means to prevent BV recurrence.

Starpharma also has deals in place with Ansell and Japan’s Okamoto Industries covering the production of ranges of VivaGel-coated condoms.

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) shares were trading 2.79% higher at $1.105 as of around 2 pm on Wednesday.