Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (CUV) announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Clinuvel pivotal patent protection for the delivery of melanocortins as photoprotective agents in transdermal formulations. Clinuvel has two melanocortin drugs in development (afamelanotide and CUV9900), both of which are analogues of the naturally occurring hormone alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (alpha-MSH). Patent 20110263508 grants Clinuvel exclusive rights for compositions of alpha-MSH analogues and transdermal delivery systems and methods of inducing melanogenesis by topical administration.
Clinuvel’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Hank Agersborg, said, “This has been a long time coming but our program has demonstrated the importance of melanocortins in inducing melanogenesis and thus protecting skin. This patent will allow the company a further extension of the use of afamelanotide and CUV9900 in non-invasive formulations. This patent enhances the value of our current portfolio of intellectual property in the major markets of the world. ”
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (CUV) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for the treatment of a range of severe skin disorders. With its unique expertise in understanding the interaction of light and human skin, the company has identified three groups of patients with a clinical need for photoprotection and another group with a need for repigmentation. These patient groups range in size from 10,000 to 45 million. Clinuvel’s lead compound, SCENESSE® (afamelanotide), a first-in-class drug targeting erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), is in Phase II and III trials in the US and Europe, and is expected to be filed before the end of 2011 for review by the European Medicines Agency. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Clinuvel has operations in Europe and the US.
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