Santhera erhält Patent in den USA für Catena zur Behandlung von Muskeldystrophien

24.08.2011 | von Santhera Pharmaceuticals (Schweiz) AG

24.08.2011, Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) gibt heute bekannt, dass die US-amerikanische Patent- und Markenbehörde den Patentschutz für Idebenone (Markenname Catena) zur Behandlung von Duchenne Muskeldystrophie und weiterer Muskeldystrophien erteilt hat. Dieses Patent in den Vereinigten Staaten ergänzt ein vergleichbares Europäisches Patent welches bereits 2010 erteilt wurde.

Über Santhera Pharmaceuticals (Schweiz) AG:

Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SWX: SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery, development and marketing of small molecule pharmaceutical products for the treatment of severe neuromuscular diseases. Santhera’s vision is to become a leading specialty pharmaceutical company offering therapies for a number of indications in this area of high unmet medical need which includes many orphan indications with no current therapy.

Santhera currently has five clinical-stage development programs, three of which are investigating its lead compound, SNT-MC17 (INN: idebenone), in the treatment of Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA), Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Another clinical program is investigating JP- 1730 (INN: fipamezole) for the treatment of Dyskinesia in Parkinson’s Disease (DPD) in cooperation with Juvantia, the compound’s owner. The fifth program comprises SNT-317 (INN: omigapil) in Congenital Muscular Dystrophies (CMD), a compound in-licensed from Novartis.

Santhera’s first product, SNT-MC17 (INN: idebenone) has received a marketing approval with conditions from Health Canada to treat Friedreich’s Ataxia and will be marketed under its brand name Catena. The product is also under review by health authorities in the EU and in Switzerland for the same indication, while in the United States a pivotal phase III trial is recruiting patients. SNT- MC17 has recently shown efficacy as a potential treatment in DMD, the compound's second indication.