Avecho Biotechnology allowed new US patent for TPM manufacturing process

The US Patent and Trade Marks Office has allowed Avecho Biotechnology (ASX: AVE) a new patent application directed to an optimised manufacturing process for its drug delivery system tocopheryl phosphate mixture (TPM).

TPM is the core technology underpinning Avecho’s product development activities.

It has been shown to increase the solubility, stability and absorption of a range of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical molecules and is the key ingredient in Vital-ET, which is the company’s personal care ingredient distributed worldwide by Ashland.

Avecho’s optimised manufacturing method provides TPM with higher purity at greater yields, enabling the company to provide for future product development activities with improved cost effectiveness and process efficiencies.

Commercial outcome

Chief executive officer Dr Paul Gavin said the allowance of Avecho’s US patent application was a significant commercial outcome.

“We have established a large patent portfolio protecting all candidate applications of our TPM however the core intellectual property has always been the patent protecting its manufacture,” he said.

“With this new patent allowed in the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, we have ensured our ability to protect our technology and products that contain TPM well into the future… the extended patent protection is timely given the new products we have under development combining TPM formulations with cannabinoids.”

Monopoly rights

Once granted, the US patent is expected to provide Avecho with monopoly rights over the TPM manufacturing process until at least December 2037.

News of the patent allowance follows the recent granting of patent rights to Avecho’s TPM manufacturing process in India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Singapore.

Dr Gavin said it “foreshadows a pathway to grant” in the remaining jurisdictions with pending patent applications covering the manufacturing process.

Patent families

Avecho currently has over 10 patent families protecting a range of applications for TPM.

New families have been filed to protect the specific combination of TPM with cannabinoids to produce increased absorption.

These patents have progressed through PCT (Patent Co-operation Treaty) stage and have been filed in a number of different countries.