The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Notice of Allowance to Arrowhead Research Corporation for its US Patent Application Number 13/326,433 entitled, “Peptide-Based In Vivo siRNA Delivery System.” The allowed claims specifically protect the use of targeted melittin or melittin-like peptides to facilitate delivery of siRNA conjugates to hepatocytes.

This new patent protection covers the composition of the Dynamic Polyconjugate, or DPC, delivery system used in Arrowhead's RNAi-based drug candidate, ARC-520, against chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

“We continue to expand the IP protection for multiple formulations of our DPC siRNA delivery system,” said Dr Chris Anzalone, president and CEO of Arrowhead. “This current allowance provides patent coverage through 2031 for our hepatitis B candidate, ARC-520, and other potential RNAi-based candidates using the same DPCs.”

Arrowhead Research Corporation is a clinical stage targeted therapeutics company with development programmes in oncology, obesity, and chronic hepatitis B virus infection.