OKYO Pharma Limited (LON:OKYO) has been issued with a US patent for a potential new type of non-opioid analgesic being developed to treat symptoms of neuropathic pain, ocular pain, ocular inflammation and/or dry eye disease.
The protection covers a class of bovine adrenal medulla (BAM) peptides linked to certain lipids that OKYO’s scientists think may have therapeutic potential.
Chief executive, Dr Gary Jacob, said his team believe the lipid anchor component of the molecule is the “secret sauce” of the formulation.
He added that the plan was to file an investigational new drug application with the US Food & Drug Administration for a BAM candidate “as we move through 2021”.
"The publication of this patent on our BAM-lipidated analogues provides key IP protection crucial for bringing forward a candidate from this class into the clinic," Jacob told investors.
"It is important to recognize that the novel element of these drug candidates is the lipid anchor component of the molecule which we believe is the 'secret sauce' in seeing a pharmacologic benefit in the environment of the eye where tearing and other physiologic phenomena normally work against the effectiveness of drugs due to washout.”