The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a notice of allowance to Medicis for its US patent application directed to the use of Solodyn (minocycline HCl, USP) extended release tablets in all five currently available dosage forms.
Reportedly, the patent application is US Application no. 11/166,817, entitled ‘Method for the Treatment of Acne’. The newly allowed claims include subject matter covering methods of using a controlled-release oral dosage form of minocycline to treat acne.
The company has said that Solodyn has three issued patents. US Patent No. 5,908,838 relates to the use of the Solodyn unique dissolution rate, and expires in 2018. US Patent No. 7,541,347 relates to the use of the 90mg controlled-release oral dosage form of minocycline to treat acne, and expires in 2027. However, US Patent No. 7,544,373 relates to the composition of Solodyn in 90mg tablet form, and expires in 2027. In total the company has a number of US patent applications associated with the Solodyn program on file at the USPTO.
Jonah Shacknai, chairman and CEO of Medicis, said, “We are pleased to announce receipt of this notice of allowance by the USPTO. This represents yet another important element of maintaining the Solodyn franchise. When issued, these allowed patent claims will further enhance the intellectual property protection of the Solodyn brand.”