Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc., a speciality pharmaceutical company innovating abuse deterrent drugs, announced that the company has been issued US patent No 7,981,439 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Claims in the patent, titled “Methods and compositions for deterring abuse of drugs susceptible to abuse and dosage forms thereof,” cover Acura's Aversion polymer matrix technology when utilized with any water soluble drug of abuse.

awarded a patent that covers its Aversion polymer matrix technology that deters abuse of opioids, stimulants and tranquilizers. Acura said the opioid, stimulant and benzodiazepine products being developed by the company are covered by the newly issued patent.

Bob Jones, president and chief executive officer, said, “We are committed to developing solutions for physicians who need effective medications for their patients but are concerned about potential abuse of opioids, stimulants and tranquilizers. Our abuse deterrent products have the potential to mitigate this risk for doctors and provide another tool to combat the serious public health and safety issues associated with the abuse and misuse of oxycodone and other drugs.”

The company has formulated products that contain polymers causing the drug to create a gel when dissolved with the intent of preventing injection. Additionally, these formulations include a compound that irritates the nose when crushed with the intent to deter snorting. Abuse of opioid pain relievers is estimated at over 12 million individuals annually while tranquilizers and stimulants account for 5.5 million and 3.1 million annual abusers, respectively.