OncoZenge AB (publ), Moberg Pharma’s subsidiary, today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted patent 3 284 459 which protects BupiZenge®, currently in development for treatment of pain due to oral mucositis. The patent is expected to be in effect until 2032.
The new patent protects sustained-release lozenge containing bupivacaine, for treatment or alleviation of pain in the oral cavity. It is a divisional of the previously granted European patent 2 701 681, that specifically protects the use of lozenges for treatment of pain due to oral mucositis for cancer patients. BupiZenge® has previously been granted patents with a similar scope in the United States and Canada.
“The patent significantly strengthens the intellectual property for BupiZenge® in Europe”, Pirkko Tamsen, CEO of OncoZenge comments. “It protects the use of BupiZenge® in all relevant indications for treatment of pain in the oral cavity”.
About Oral Mucositis and BupiZenge®
Globally, around 5 million people suffer from Oral mucositis (“OM”) after cancer treatment. OM is an inflammation of the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, which results in painful ulcers. OM is considered the most debilitating side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy and commonly occurs. After radiation therapy in the head and neck region, 90 percent of patients develop OM, and of the patients who are treated with chemotherapy around 30 percent are affected. OM causes severe pain, difficulty to swallow and talk, and can lead to interruptions in cancer treatment as well as increased health care costs.
The BupiZenge® technology encompasses novel lozenge formulations of bupivacaine, a local anesthetic with a well-established long acting effect, currently available on the market for other indications as an injectable. In a previous phase 2 study on cancer patients, BupiZenge® has demonstrated statistically significant pain relief in the oral cavity and throat; the pain level in the mouth was reduced by 50 percent. compared to the current treatment.
About Moberg Pharma, www.mobergpharma.com
Moberg Pharma AB (publ) is a Swedish pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing proprietary innovations based on drug delivery of proven compounds. The company’s main asset, MOB-015, is a novel topical treatment for onychomycosis, with recently completed phase 3 trials in more than 800 patients. The pipeline also includes the late-stage asset BUPI for pain relief in oral mucositis, intended to be spun out in the separate company OncoZenge. Clinical data generated for both assets indicate they have the potential to become market leaders in their respective niches. Moberg Pharma is headquartered in Stockholm and the company’s shares are listed on the Small Cap list of the Nasdaq Stockholm (OMX: MOB).
About OncoZenge, www.oncozenge.se
OncoZenge AB (publ) is a Swedish pharmaceutical company founded in 2020 through a spin-off from Moberg Pharma AB. The company collaborates with leading clinicians from Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark. OncoZenge develops better products for supportive care of cancer patients. Preparations are underway for Phase 3 of BupiZenge®, after leading Phase 2 data for pain relief in patients with oral mucositis.
For additional information, please contact:
Pirkko Tamsen, CEO OncoZenge, telephone: +46 760 09 84 99, e-mail: pirkko.tamsen@oncozenge.se
Anna Ljung, CEO Moberg Pharma, telephone: +46 707 66 60 30, e-mail: anna.ljung@mobergpharma.se
About this information
The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 8.00 a.m. CET on January 7th, 2021.