Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary diseases,  has received a key patent from the European Union.

"This new patent shows our continued ability to obtain patents that protect our unique iSPERSE inhaled drug technology—and that also reflect the advances we are making in drug delivery," said Robert W. Clarke, Ph.D., chief executive officer for Pulmatrix. "It gives us a strong intellectual property protection position in Europe as we move forward with our drug candidates for COPD, fungal infections, and other diseases."

The new EU patent (EP 2410981 B1) follows on similar patents that Pulmatrix has been granted in the United States and Japan. The most important of those patents is US 9,433,576, which gives broad protection to Pulmatrix's innovative drug delivery technology—and to its use to treat a wide variety of diseases.

These patents explain that delivering drugs directly to the lungs offers numerous advantages. But the full potential can't be realized unless most of the drug actually gets to the lungs, rather than being stuck in the throat or mouth, causing side effects. Pulmatrix's technology uses dry powders that 'fly' easily into the lungs, making the delivery much more efficient. In addition, the technology can deliver much larger doses of drugs—and many more different types of drugs—than existing methods can.

"This new patent means that we are now protected from competitors copying our advances in Europe, as well as in the United States," added Dr. Clarke.