BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, a research and development company involved in the treatment of respiratory diseases, has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued two new patents enhancing its intellectual property portfolio in support of its current lead drug for the treatment of COPD. One of the two issued U.S. patents (No. 7,524,926), titled “Mucin Hypersecretion Inhibitors and Methods of Use,” provides broad protection for BioMarck’s lead drug, BIO-11006 Inhalation Solution, as well as a series of other first-in-class mucus inhibiting peptides. This patent will provide protection for BioMarck’s lead drug at least until 2026. The second U.S. patent (No. 7,544,772), titled “Methods for Regulating Inflammatory Mediators and Peptides useful Therein,” provides broad protection for methods of using another series of BioMarck’s anti-inflammatory peptides. These two new patents also provide broad protection for peptides and methods of treatment for a variety of pulmonary diseases involving mucus hypersecretion and airway inflammation. An extensive series of corresponding international patent applications has been or is being filed. “These two recently granted United States patents represent a significant milestone for BioMarck and they further strengthen BioMarck’s continually expanding intellectual property portfolio,” said Dr. Indu Parikh, President and Chief Scientific Officer of BioMarck Pharmaceuticals. BioMarck’s lead compound, BIO-11006 Inhalation Solution, is currently being tested in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase 2 clinical study in COPD patients. The study is designed to enroll 162 patients with COPD, specifically chronic bronchitis. BioMarck initiated the study in the third quarter of 2008 and expects complete enrollment of the planned 162 patients to take 12 to 15 months. BioMarck is currently exploring potential partnerships with pharmaceutical companies with a significant presence in the respiratory field.
