Ocuphire receives 2 US patents for late-stage drug candidate, including for presbyopia treatment

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued today two patents to Ocuphire Pharma covering the late-stage product candidate Nyxol (phentolamine mesylate).

According to the company, the two patents include:

Nyxol for the treatment of presbyobia, using a phentolamine mesylate and low-dose philocarpine combination. Issued on May 4, 2021, the patent's term is to year 2039.

Nyxol for methods of improving visual performance by daily administration of phentolamine mesylate at or near bedtime of the patient, or in combination with one or more additional therapeutic agents. Issue on May 11, 2021, the patent's term is to year 2034.

As the company continues to meet milestones in ongoing clinical trials investigating Nyxol for various refractive indications, patents such as these provide the protection necessary to ensure commercial success, according to Mina Sooch, MBA, president and CEO of Ocuphire Pharma, in a company news release.

"Importantly, Ocuphire owns all of the worldwide rights to Nyxol for all indications," she said.

"These broader and new claims for daily use and presbyopia respectively reflect several years of strategic effort by our team and our patent counsel Dechert LLP," she added. "The timing is ideal with our recent announcement of enrollment completion in the VEGA-1 Phase 2 presbyopia trial and the upcoming expected top-line results by the end of June.”

The company reported its patent real estate for Nyxol also includes patents and patent applications for phentolamine mesylate formulations and methods for using phentolamine mesylate.

These include seven issued U.S. patents, with five pending U.S. non-provisional patent applications and one pending U.S. provisional patent application, as well as issued patents patents in Australia, Europe, Japan, and Mexico and pending patent applications in Australia, Canada, Japan, and other foreign countries.