The patents protect the use of this substance as a pharmaceutical product in these countries. The two patents granted now expand the scope of protection for BF-1, which already entailed the whole of Europe, South Africa, and the US. The issue of the patent in Hong Kong is awaited in the near future. Patents for Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea and India are pending.
As the product does not fit into the dermatological focus of the company, Biofrontera is intending to out-license the migraine product at the latest, after successful completion of proof of concept studies. The worldwide patent rights are a prerequisite for out licensing.
Hermann Lubbert, CEO of Biofrontera, said: “We believe, that BF-1 has the potential to become a blockbuster drug when marketed worldwide. For this reason the patent protection of the compound even outside the large drug markets US, Europe and Japan is of vital importance.”