EDISON, N.J. - ContraVir Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of targeted antiviral therapies, announced in a press release that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a new patent, US 9,714,271 covering a broad collection of cyclophilin inhibitors.
ContraVir currently has a lead cyclophilin inhibitor, CRV431 (US 9,200,038), for use as an antiviral which is being developed for treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The Company anticipates that CRV431 will be used in conjunction with tenofovir exalidex (TXLTM), its lead drug currently in Phase 2 clinical trials.
The newly granted patent significantly extends the claims of the original CRV431 patent family. It is known that while different types of cyclophilins are ubiquitous and differ in their cellular localization, enzymatic properties, and their role in protein folding, cyclophilins play a key role in many diverse diseases including infectious diseases, inflammation, cell death, muscular dystrophy, ischemia reperfusion, and oncogenesis.
"We are very pleased to have received the issuance of this additional patent, as it provides broad coverage of many compounds within our library of cyclophilin inhibitors. This also positions us for opportunities to potentially treat other diseases,” commented James Sapirstein, Chief Executive Officer of ContraVir Pharmaceuticals Inc. “Having a patented portfolio of cyclophilin inhibitors allows us to access additional disease indications and potentially expand beyond our core program in HBV.”
CRV431 is a non-immunosuppressive analog of cyclosporine A (CsA) whose primary biochemical action is inhibition of cyclophilin isomerase activity, playing a key role in protein folding. Other viruses such as HIV-1 and HCV, similarly use cyclophilin for their replication. CRV431 shows potential in experimental models to complement current hepatitis B treatments by reducing multiple markers of infection including HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBx, HBeAg, and HBV uptake by cells. Studies have also demonstrated that CRV431 possesses anti-fibrotic activity which may further curb progression of liver disease in patients.