Intellectual property protection for DARA BioSciences‘s drug pipeline just got a little more secure.
Raleigh, North Carolina-based DARA (NASDAQ:DARA) has been issued nine patents in the United States and around the world, which gives it additional intellectual property protection for compounds being developed as new treatments for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and pain.
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DARA does not yet have any U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved products. But the new patents should give the company additional protection as it seeks approval for its drug candidates in the United States and around the world.
DARA recently updated a registration statement that would allow the company to raise up to $30 million to fund clinical activities if that money is needed. DARA’s lead drug candidate is KRN5500, which is being studied for neuropathic pain. The company plans to conduct a phase 2 study on the compound with the National Cancer Institute that will focus on treating chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. NCI will fund that study.
Drug candidate DB959 is in early phase clinical testing as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. DARA said that it has been awarded patents in the United States and in Europe that protect compounds in the DB900 program, as well as the methods of treating a variety of clinical indications such as diabetes and related disorders. DARA said that it has also secured patents in Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan for compounds in the DB900 program, including DB959. The patents are exclusively licensed under an agreement with Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
DARA also received a European patent protecting the use of certain compounds for pain relief, including compounds in the company’s KRN5500 program. The company has been issued a related patent in Canada. Both of those patents are exclusively licensed from The General Hospital Corp.
