Key Takeaways

  • The USPTO has issued a Notice of Allowance for Curative Biotechnology's patent application covering topical metformin eye drop treatments for retinal degenerative diseases
  • The allowed claims include methods for treating AMD, retinal pigment epithelium degeneration, Stargardt disease and Stargardt-like disease using topical ophthalmic formulations

Curative Biotechnology announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for a patent application covering the use of topical metformin formulations to treat retinal degenerative diseases.

The allowed application, U.S. Patent Application No. 17/642,610, titled "Druggable Target to Treat Retinal Degeneration," follows a previously announced Notice of Allowance in Canada.

Curative is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the technology under a patent license agreement with the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The invention was developed by Kapil Bharti, PhD, and colleagues at the NEI and is directed toward a therapeutic approach for retinal degenerative diseases.

According to the company, the allowed claims include methods for treating retinal degeneration through topical ophthalmic administration of metformin. The claims encompass age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal pigment epithelium degeneration, Stargardt disease, and Stargardt-like disease using pharmaceutical formulations designed for delivery as eye drops.

"This U.S. patent allowance represents another important milestone in strengthening our intellectual property portfolio around our metformin-based ophthalmic therapies," said Paul Michaels, executive chairman of Curative Biotechnology. "Combined with our recently announced manufacturing agreement, our translational research collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, and our CRADA with the National Eye Institute supporting our planned first-in-human clinical study, this allowance further reinforces our strategy of advancing a differentiated ophthalmology platform for both human and veterinary applications."

The company has previously announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the NEI to support a planned first-in-human clinical study, as well as a manufacturing agreement and a translational research collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.