Suda Pharmaceuticals wins European patent protection

Perth oral drug delivery manufacturer Suda Pharmaceuticals has won patent protection for its FDA approved anagrelide treatment for a wide range of cancers.

Suda is now the only company with a patent covering the use of anagrelide in the treatment and prevention of metastatic disease in the bone or lung, and a wide range of solid cancers.

The patent from the EU patent office covers Suda’s oro-mucosal drug delivery methodology as well as injectables, transdermal patches, creams, lotions and gels.

According to the company: “Currently, newer cancer treatments involve immunotherapy which stimulate the patients’ own immune system.

“Anagrelide could be complementary to such treatments rendering circulating cancer cells more susceptible to attack by the body’s own “killer” T cells and could thus offer a valuable new adjunctive therapy.”

The treatment works by slowing the production of platelets, reducing the impact of these protectors of, and promoters of, tumour growth.

Suda chairman, Paul Hopper said the patent was a very important step in commercialising the treatment.

He said: “A strong patent position is critical for extracting the maximum value for a project in our industry…and a significant value creation point for our company.”

Suda has numerous pharmaceuticals in R&D, but markets only one – its ZolpiMist spray formulation for the treatment of insomnia.

This is a form of zolpidem tartrate which is marketed as tablets under the brand names Ambien or Stilnox.

Picture: Suda Pharmaceuticals

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