XenoPort Inc. (XNPT) said it was awarded U.S. Patent 8,148,414 for "Prodrugs of Methyl Hydrogen Fumarate, Pharmaceutical Compositions Thereof, and Methods of Use." Subject to potential Hatch-Waxman patent term extensions, the term of the patent extends until 2029.
The patent is directed to the XP23829 compound, analogs thereof and formulations thereof, XenoPort added. A related U.S. patent application directed to therapeutic uses of XP23829 is currently pending. XP23829 is a prodrug of methyl hydrogen fumarate, also called as monomethyl fumarate or MMF. In cell- and animal-based models, MMF has been shown to exhibit immuno-modulatory properties and inhibit damage from oxidative stress.
XenoPort, which owns all rights to XP23829, plans to file an Investigational New Drug Application for XP23829 for the treatment of relapsing remitting MS with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the second quarter of 2012 and expects to initiate human clinical trials later this year.
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