US Patent No. 8,076,290 regarding stabilized formulations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH peptide analogs for various means of delivery, including intranasal delivery, has been awarded to Aegis Therapeutics. PTH and PTH peptide analogs such as PTH 1-34 (teriparatide) are used for the treatment of osteoporosis. Aegis has licensed the patent exclusively to Azelon Pharmaceuticals, which recently obtained financing for development of a teriparatide nasal spray.
Aegis’s delivery technologies include Intravail transmucosal absorption enhancers and ProTek peptide and protein stabilizers, which, the company says, “stabilize, prevent aggregation, and reduce unwanted immunogenicity of protein and peptide therapeutics while avoiding the oxidative damage caused by polysorbate surfactants currently found in most protein injectable drugs.”
According to Aegis, “All currently approved PTH drug formulations require daily injection. In contrast, Azelon has reported clinical results demonstrating that formulations of teriparatide based upon Aegis’ Intravail/ProTek show excellent nasal bioavailability offering the prospect of a ‘first in class’ non-injectable PTH drug.”
Read the Aegis press release.
