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news.Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery and development company, has received European patent for inhaled interferon beta (IFN-beta) to treat rhinovirus infections in asthma and COPD.
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Synairgen said that the issued patent is part of a patent portfolio owned by the University of Southampton, which is exclusively licensed to Synairgen.
Reportedly, laboratory experiments were undertaken in 2009 for Synairgen by the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (Porton Down, Salisbury) which confirmed the antiviral potency of IFN-beta against 2009 H1N1.
In the experiments lung cells were grown in cell culture and then exposed to the 2009 H1N1 (Strain: Influenza A/California/04/2009(H1N1)), resulting in around 70% of cells becoming infected. In the presence of IFN-beta, the proportion of cells infected with the virus was reduced by at least 94% over 3 experiments.
Synairgen has entered into a supply and licence agreement for a patent-protected formulation of IFN-beta from the Rentschler Group in Germany.
Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, said: “The European patent grant and the US patent granted last year are key ingredients in the out-licensing package.”