Zengen Inc announced that the United States Patent Office has approved a patent application for "A Lys-Pro-Val Dimer, Formulations and Applications," which covers novel peptide CZEN 002. This marks the first patent application approval for CZEN 002, with issuance of the patent expected by the end of the year. In addition, Zengen holds multiple patents and patents-pending worldwide on its peptide technologies.

"This development provides further validation of the efficacy of CZEN 002," said R. Steven Davidson, President and CEO of Zengen. "The approved patent application claims are directed to the novel peptide, which has the ability to control infection and/or inflammation associated with, among other disease states, urogenital conditions, including vaginitis."

Zengen is currently conducting Phase I/II clinical trials for CZEN 002, one of the Company's proprietary peptide molecules, for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis, commonly known as vaginal yeast infection. Zengen's peptides have broad applications as anti-inflammatory and anti-infective prescription pharmaceuticals and are based on the larger melanocortin peptide, alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone (a-MSH).