Cypros Pharmaceutical Receives Notice of Allowance on Patent
for Use of Cordox in the Treatment of Asthma
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1998--Cypros Pharmaceutical Corp.
(AMEX:CYP - news) announced today that it received Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office on all claims of a U.S. patent application covering the use of
fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) for the treatment of asthma.
FDP is the active ingredient in the Cypros drug, Cordox(TM) (formerly CPC-111). The patent
covers both inhaled and intravenous routes of Cordox administration. Recent evidence shows that
Cordox reduces the immunologic and inflammatory cascade which causes the bronchial constriction
and resulting asthma symptoms.
The putative mechanism of Cordox action is different from the current steroid and
cathecholamine-based asthma drugs and may represent a new and potentially safer way to treat and
prevent the asthma episode. Although the current patent is the first obtained by the company
specifically for asthma, it complements two existing Cordox patents in other inflammatory and
immunologic indications.
Cordox has been shown, in various internal and external preclinical studies, to reduce histamine
release from activated mast cells, to suppress the activation of lymphocytes, to reduce neutrophil
free radical production, and to inhibit interleukin production by activated T-cells. In these studies,
Cordox administration directly into the lungs also blocks methacholine-induced asthma attacks.
Cypros is developing Cordox as a cytoprotective agent for use in a variety of ischemic indications.
The therapeutic properties of Cordox in inflammatory and immunologic indications is a more
recent finding and suggests that this natural sugar phosphate may have broader applications.
Commenting on the patent, Paul J. Marangos, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of
Cypros, stated, ''Cordox augments cellular energy metabolism so it is not surprising that it affects a
variety of physiologic processes which underlie multiple diseases. We are making good progress in
both discovering these new applications and in establishing the necessary proprietary position to
make them commercially viable. Cordox displays many of the properties required for a useful
asthma therapeutic; its novel mechanism of action, relative to other treatments, suggests that it may
represent a new approach to this widespread and still poorly-treated disorder. Additional studies
will determine the potential clinical utility of Cordox in asthma.''
Cypros Pharmaceutical is engaged in the development and marketing of drug products for the
hospital market. The company is pursuing a diversified strategy of marketing approved drugs and
developing small molecule therapeutics that protect cells from ischemic injury. The company
currently has three products on the market, Glofil, Inulin and Ethamolin(R). The company is
currently planning Phase III clinical trials for its Cordox and Ceresine drugs, which it expects to
commence in 1998. |
