The new patent covers several new chemical entities, including composition of matter and use of the company’s lead product candidate, OT-551. With anticipated patent life extensions, the patent is expected to be valid through at least 2024.
OT-551 is a topically-dosed, novel small molecule that inhibits oxidative stress and disease-induced inflammation. The company has completed enrollment of a Phase II clinical trial of OT-551 for the treatment of an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration, also termed geographic atrophy (GA).
In preclinical studies of retinal disease, OT-551 has been shown to reach the back of the eye in efficacious amounts after topical dosing, and has demonstrated excellent safety to date, providing the key rationale for studying the drug in patients with GA.
David Joseph, Othera’s chairman and CEO, said: “We are quite pleased that the USPTO has issued this important patent to protect our OT-551 intellectual property estate.”