EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a patent application related to its EyeGate II Delivery System. The patent covers claims for a delivery device containing a hydrogel applicator used to transport therapeutic substance across and / or through the eye.

Additionally, the company announced that a key patent relating to its lead compound, EGP-437, has been granted (patent number US 9,149,525 B2). This patent covers a method of treating eye conditions using EyeGate’s proprietary dexamethasone phosphate pharmaceutical formulation delivered by ocular iontophoresis. The patent is not limited to any particular eye condition or to a particular iontophoretic device / method, but rather is directed at the delivery of this formulation through iontophoresis to the eye of patients in need of treatment

“The grant and issuance of these two patents represent important milestones in our effort to build a robust IP portfolio protecting our proprietary drug formulation and the revolutionary delivery system that accompanies it. The issued patent provides broad coverage for our lead therapeutic candidate, EGP-437, while the allowed patent will permit further advancement of our EyeGate II Delivery System,” said Stephen From, president and chief executive officer of EyeGate.

“The inclusion of claims relating to the hydrogel layer in the applicator will enable us to develop the next generation of the delivery system, which could utilise applicators pre-filled with the therapeutic substance. These additions to our intellectual property estate afford us the opportunity to continue innovating and advancing our potentially disruptive therapeutic candidates to benefit ophthalmic patients and the industry at-large.”

EGP-437, EyeGate’s first product in clinical trials, incorporates a reformulated topically active corticosteroid, dexamethasone phosphate, which is delivered into the ocular tissues though our proprietary innovative drug delivery system, the EyeGate II Delivery System. EGP-437 is being evaluated for treatment of non-infectious anterior uveitis and macular edema. Iontophoresis is capable of delivering substantially higher ocular drug concentrations leading to greater bioavailability and therapeutic effect, and reducing the frequency of dosing. The EyeGate II Delivery System has the potential to offer a non-invasive method of drug delivery as an alternative to the current delivery modalities used for treating ocular diseases, such as eye drops and ocular injections.