DARA Receives Notice Of Allowance From USPTO Relating To Spicamycin

DARA BioSciences (DARA) has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for US Patent Application No 12/112,213 entitled “Methods for Decreasing or Preventing Pain Using Spicamycin Derivatives.” when issued, the patent will allow protection through 2021.

DARA BioSciences has exclusive licenses with Massachusetts General Hospital and Kirin Pharmaceuticals of Japan for the treatment of pain with Spicamycin derivatives.

DARA currently has a patent estate with ownership, rights and licenses to 71 patents and 58 patent applications worldwide, covering the drug candidates in development plus its extensive libraries.

The company has successfully completed a clinical proof-of-concept study for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with advanced cancer using KRN5500, earlier this year. This 14 week, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose escalation study randomised patients to receive treatment with either KRN5500 or placebo (saline equivalent) in doses ranging from 0.6 to 2.2mg/m.

The primary endpoint was achieved with demonstrating statistical significance over Placebo in the median reduction of pain scores from baseline.