Unigene Laboratories, Inc reported that its first patent covering its Site-Directed Bone Growth (SDBG) technology has issued. The technology, jointly invented in collaboration with Dr Agnès Vignery at the Yale School of Medicine, is designed to facilitate and accelerate bone growth at precisely targeted locations in the body using a simple surgical procedure that can be performed on an outpatient basis with minimal invasiveness. Animal studies have shown that, in combination with one or more therapeutic compounds, SDBG can grow significant amounts of high quality bone.
The claims of U.S patent #7,531,518, 'Method of Fostering Bone Formation and Preservation', provide broad protection for the inducement of rapid bone growth at specific skeletal sites and its subsequent preservation using a variety of therapeutic agents, such as parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and bisphosphonates. Several other patent applications covering the SDBG program are currently being reviewed by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
"The issuance of this first patent provides us with broad intellectual property protection for this novel technology," stated Dr Warren Levy, president and CEO of Unigene. "This patent and the potential issuance of other patent applications could provide Unigene with a comprehensive family of patents that would cover a variety of bone ailments that affect a large segment of the population. Although still in the early stages of development, SDBG may ultimately allow surgeons to stimulate rapid bone growth in patients with low bone density in areas such as the hip or spine. In addition, SDBG may ultimately be used to accelerate the rate of fracture healing. We believe that potential future applications may include the treatment or prevention of hip and vertebral fractures, the replacement of current vertebroplasty techniques, the stabilization of prosthetic devices, and the repair of long bone fractures."
Unigene Labs is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the oral and nasal delivery of large-market peptide drugs.