Battelle Pulmonary Therapeutics Announces Grant of Patent for First Inhalable Cancer Therapy.Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BW HealthWire)--March 19, 2002 Battelle Pulmonary Therapeutics (BPT BPT Bridgeport (Connecticut) BPT Best Practicable Control Technology BPT Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available BPT BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (stock symbol) BPT Boston Playwrights' Theatre ) today announced the issuance of a patent to cover a method for treating lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. by inhalation. U.S. Patent No. 6,348,209, entitled, "Formulation and Method for Treating Neoplasms by Inhalation," is the first issued patent that deals with the methods for treating tumors of the respiratory tract respiratory tract n. The air passages from the nose to the pulmonary alveoli, including the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Respiratory tract , or cancers of the lung, head and neck, by pulmonary administration of anticancer drugs Anticancer Drugs Definition Anticancer, or antineoplastic, drugs are used to treat malignancies, or cancerous growths. Drug therapy may be used alone, or in combination with other treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy. . The patent is one of a series of several applications submitted to give BPT exclusive rights to develop and commercialize a suite of inhaled anticancer drugs. This patent specifically covers the use and dosage of vinca alkaloids in treatment of cancer of the respiratory tract. Other patents that have received notice of allowance, but have not yet issued, will extend this to cover the aerosol use of most vesicant vesicant /ves·i·cant/ (ves´i-kant) 1. producing blisters. 2. an agent that so acts. ves·i·cant n. cytotoxic drugs. Vesicant drugs are those that can cause local tissue damage if injected outside of the veins. Traditional methods of administering drugs, including intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, are unable to deliver adequate amounts of anticancer drugs to tumors without causing debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction and life-threatening toxicities in the patient. BPT's method of delivery avoids the severe systemic toxicity that IV chemotherapy causes. "The issuance of this patent continues to build on BPT's strong intellectual property position in the area of inhaled cancer therapeutics and, in particular, our inhaled oncolytics product platform," said Dennis Cearlock, BPT's president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with lung cancer patients numbering more than 400,000 in the top eight markets. We plan to develop and market our treatments and inhalation devices for cancer under our own brand. Battelle Pulmonary Therapeutics believes its products will capture a significant share of the potential $3 to 5 billion market for inhaled oncolytics," said Cearlock. In Phase I clinical trials, BPT's lead product, inhaled Resmycin(TM) (doxorubicin doxorubicin /doxo·ru·bi·cin/ (dok?so-roo´bi-sin) an antineoplastic antibiotic, produced by Streptomyces peucetius, which binds to DNA and inhibits nucleic acid synthesis; used as the hydrochloride salt and as a liposome-encased HCl inhalation solution) has demonstrated that the delivery of anticancer drugs directly to the lungs may result in considerably higher levels of drug in the lungs compared to IV chemotherapy. The higher drug levels are expected to increase tumor response rates, potentially increasing the quality and duration of life of people with lung cancer. BPT's inhalation technology controls patient dose and fugitive aerosol, so that predictable and reproducible dosing is possible, enabling targeted drug administration while eliminating systemic toxicities. Resmycin received Fast Track designation by the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. for the treatment of Bronchioalveolar Carcinoma, a type of lung cancer, which may allow BPT to file a New Drug Application with Phase II data. About BPT Battelle Pulmonary Therapeutics is a pre-public specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging science and engineering to design more effective medicines. The company has a growing portfolio of ten products in development, with several in early clinical trials. The products are based on three proprietary platforms: Mystic(TM) inhalation technology, novel formulation technologies, and inhaled anticancer therapy. The company develops products by combining these platforms with novel or generic compounds to create therapies to treat respiratory and systemic diseases and lung cancer. BPT has partnerships with numerous pharmaceutical corporations, including Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Viasys Healthcare, and ViroPharma and is a subsidiary of Battelle Memorial Institute The Battelle Memorial Institute is a private not-for-profit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The institute opened in 1929 but traces its origins to the 1923 will of Ohio industrialist Gordon Battelle which provided for its , the world's largest independent and private research and development organization. For more information on BPT, reference the company's website at www.bpt-inc.com. |
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