Biosensors International Group, Ltd. has been granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering the technology behind its drug-eluting stents (DES).
Specifically, this US patent, (Patent Number 6939376) covers the use of anti-restenotic, immuno-suppressive drugs including Everolimus, in combination with a biodegradable drug release polymer coating on an endovascular stent. The patent was filed in April 2002, and is valid in the US for 20 years from the filing date. The company has also filed for the same patent in Australia, Japan, Europe, which it is anticipating to receive, according to a company release.
"Intellectual assets are particularly important in a fast growing and competitive segment such as the multi-billion dollar DES market," said Yoh-Chie Lu, Chairman and CEO of Biosensors. "We have a strong belief that bioresorbable polymers will be a key factor for the long term success of DES. The positive STEALTH clinical trial results is consistent with this and we believe that the combination therapy, as covered by this patent, will be a step forward in treating coronary artery diseases. Securing a patent that covers a core technology in this area will bring us one step closer to achieving our vision of becoming a leader in DES," he added.
The DES technology covered by this patent has clinically been shown to reduce restenosis in humans when compared to bare metal stents as demonstrated in the FUTURE I and II and STEALTH clinical trials conducted by Biosensors. Restenosis is the renarrowing of the coronary arteries following stent implantation. The patent also covers the technology used in the Company's flagship DES, BioMatrix, which uses Biosensors' proprietary Biolimus A9 drug, bioresorbable polymer, S-Stent and stent delivery catheter, all of which have been developed in-house. Biosensors also has other patents pending on the Biolimus A9 drug technology.