BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering the approved administration of Kuvan (sapropterin dihydrochloride) with food for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU). The patent expires in 2024.

"We believe that the food effect patent, based on the discovery that food increases the bioavailability of Kuvan, along with our patents for once daily dosing and stable tablet formulation, will create significant barriers to therapeutically equivalent generic competition from entering the market for approximately ten years beyond orphan drug exclusivity," said Jean-Jacques Bienaime, chief executive officer of BioMarin. "We remain committed to serving the PKU community with initiatives such as implementation of an outcomes study in the second quarter of next year and the ongoing development of a blood Phe monitor. We also look forward to results from various investigator-sponsored trials that, if positive, will strengthen the value proposition for the use of Kuvan."

Kuvan (sapropterin dihydrochloride) tablets are indicated in the United States to reduce blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels in patients with hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) due to tetrahydrobiopterin- (BH4-) responsive phenylketonuria (PKU).

BioMarin develops and commercializes innovative biopharmaceuticals for serious diseases and medical conditions.