BattellePharma Granted Two Patents for First Inhalable Lung Cancer Therapy.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BW HealthWire)--July 30, 2002 BattellePharma today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property has issued the company two patents covering methods of 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. using inhaled anti-cancer compounds. With the issuance of these patents, BattellePharma has extended the breadth of its intellectual property covering the method being developed to treat cancer 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 using the most common classes of anti-cancer agents, including anthracyclines, taxanes, and vinca alkaloids vinca alkaloids a group of alkaloids, including vinblastine and vincristine, extracted from the periwinkle plant (Vinca rosea), which arrest cell division in metaphase by disrupting the microtubules that form the spindle apparatus; used as antineoplastic agents. . U.S. Patent No. 6,419,900 titled, "Formulation and Method for Treating Neoplasms by Inhalation," claims a method of treating lung cancer using inhaled taxanes including paclitaxel paclitaxel /pac·li·tax·el/ (pak?li-tak´sel) an antineoplastic that promotes and stabilizes polymerization of microtubules, isolated from the Pacific yew tree (Taxus brevifolia); and docetaxel, and the formulation of these aerosolized Adj. 1. aerosolized - in the form of ultramicroscopic solid or liquid particles dispersed or suspended in air or gas aerosolised gaseous - existing as or having characteristics of a gas; "steam is water is the gaseous state" compounds to be administered by metered dose inhalers, nebulizers, or dry powder inhalers. U.S. Patent No. 6,419,901, titled, "Method for Treating Neoplasms by Inhalation," claims a method of treating lung cancer using inhaled anthracyclines, such as 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 , epirubicin, and idarubicin. In addition to the patents covering inhaled taxanes and anthracyclines, BattellePharma holds a U.S. Patent claiming a method of treating cancer of the respiratory tract by administration of inhaled vinca alkaloid anti-cancer agents such as vincristine vincristine /vin·cris·tine/ (vin-kris´ten) an antineoplastic vinca alkaloid; used as the sulfate salt in the treatment of various neoplasms, including Hodgkin's disease, acute lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's . "These additional patents provide BattellePharma exclusive rights to develop and commercialize a suite of inhaled anticancer drugs," said Dennis Cearlock, 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. of BattellePharma. "Our Resmycin inhaled lung cancer drug is anticipated to enter phase II trial in combination with standard therapy in January." BattellePharma's lead product, inhaled Resmycin(TM) (doxorubicin HCl inhalation solution) has demonstrated that the delivery of anticancer drugs directly to the lungs will result in considerably higher levels of the drug in the lungs compared to IV chemotherapy, and has shown evidence of efficacy in phase I trials. When used in conjunction with standard therapy, the higher drug levels are expected to increase tumor response rates and survival times, while improving the quality of life of people with lung cancer. Resmycin is administered by a proprietary inhalation technology, which controls patient dose and fugitive aerosol, so that predictable and reproducible dosing is possible. This enables targeted drug administration while eliminating systemic toxicities. About BattellePharma BattellePharma Inc. is a pre-public specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging science and technology to design more effective medicines. The company has a growing portfolio of 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. BattellePharma has partnerships with numerous pharmaceutical corporations, including Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Inc., Corus Pharma, Viasys Healthcare, and ViroPharma, Inc. 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 BattellePharma, reference the company's website at www.battellepharma.com. |
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