PhytoPharmacon LLC (formerly SaviPu Pharmaceuticals), a privately owned biopharmaceutical company has bagged a patent for Myriceric acid derivatives used in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The company is currently developing a Myriceric Acid, a analog for the treatment of androgen refractory prostate cancer, one of the therapeutic areas of focus.

The company is also currently seeking a $1.5 million series A investment to fund for the development of its botanical prescription drug portfolio.

The patent also includes pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treatment for a number of other important inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases particularly arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and COPD, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, stroke, atherosclerosis, restenosis, diabetes, glomerulonephritis, cancer and cachexia.

Dr Gabriel Cipau, CEO, PhytoPharmacon stated that the company has filed a number of patents, which further strengthens its intellectual property position in botanical drug development and commercialization.

Dr Cipau, who recently joined PhytoPharmacon served as president of Nippon Wellcome Japan and board member of Wellcome Foundation PLC, UK. He was also CEO of several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Copley Pharmaceuticals, Biolex and PhaseBio.

The North Carolina-based PhytoPharmacon has identified drug candidates in oncology, cardiovascular disease, and the anti-inflammatory field including asthma. By selecting drug candidates whose efficacy and safety have already been established over hundreds of years in China, India, USA and Europe, the company expects to be able to reduce the time taken to bring these proprietary botanical drugs to market.

Dr Ven Subbiah, founder and President, PhytoPharmacon who was in India for the Bangalore Bio in April, provided a overview of the company strategy along with an update on the development of its lead product for the treatment of asthma. Working within the recently issued FDA guidance in this area, the company strategy is to use its broad product and technology platform to develop a portfolio of botanical prescription drugs, he added.

PhytoPharmacon is a privately owned biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of a portfolio of botanically derived pharmaceuticals that inhibit multiple disease specific pathways.