Furiex Pharma has developed Dapoxetine in collaboration with Alza Corporation and its affiliates.
The patent include claims directed to dosing Dapoxetine on an as-needed basis, capturing the advantage of Dapoxetine over other compounds in the same class, which require a pre-loading period for efficacy.
Alza’s affiliate, Janssen-Cilag, currently markets Dapoxetine under the trademark, Priligy, in a number of markets outside the US. Priligy has been launched in seven countries in the EU including Sweden, Austria, Finland, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal, as well as Mexico, South Korea and New Zealand.
June Almenoff, president and chief medical officer of Furiex, said: “The method claims of this patent are valuable because, unlike other SSRIs, Dapoxetine’s effects on premature ejaculation are evident with one dose, allowing Dapoxetine to be dosed on an ‘as needed’ basis.
“Issuance of the 7,718,705 patent extends patent protection for the treatment of premature ejaculation using Dapoxetine for 12 years.”