Allergy treatment granted European patent
Following an oral presentation to the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, Cobalis has been granted a European patent for PreHistin, as a unique treatment for allergies and other atopic diseases.
Following an oral presentation to the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, Cobalis has been granted a European patent for PreHistin, as a unique treatment for allergies and other atopic diseases.
The patent, number EP1128835, 'Cyanocobalamin Treatment in Allergic Disease', paves the way for the marketing of PreHistin throughout the EU, where an estimated 80m people suffer from seasonal and perennial allergies, as well as a host of other atopic diseases, such as atopic asthma, atopic migraine and dermatitis.
PreHistin is a sublingual lozenge containing an allergy-opposing amount of cyanocobalamin that is absorbed through the buccal membrane, allowing direct introduction of the active ingredient into the blood-stream. It is this manner of delivery that distinguishes it from orally-ingested cyanocobalamin, which first passes through the digestive tract before the active ingredient is systemically available, and thus allowed it to be patented. The sublingual lozenge form of PreHistin is said to possess a 'significantly higher bioavailability of cyanocobalamin than orally-ingested tablets or capsules'.
PreHistin is currently in Phase III clinical trials and initial marketing in the US will commence upon final FDA marketing approval. EU marketing is expected to begin in 2006 following formal publication of the issued EU patent.
The US anti-allergy medication market was valued at $7.2bn in 2003 and is expected to exceed $10bn by 2010. Trademarked as 'The World's First Pre-Histamine', PreHistin is proven to modulate the body's level of the protein IgE, thereby reducing the overproduction of histamines, the primary cause of airborne allergy symptoms. Prior studies have shown that its active ingredient 'appears to have essentially no risks of adverse effects to the general population, including sedation and drowsiness'.
Cobalis, headquartered in Irvine, California, US, already has two patents in the US and one in Australia, as well as patents pending in several other pharmaceutical markets, including Mexico, Canada and Japan.