Kanna Health announces publication of patent application for KH-001 as a treatment for premature ejaculation

LONDON, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kanna Health Ltd (Kanna Health) - Today, the World Intellectual Property Office has published Kanna Health's patent application covering the use of KH-001 as a treatment for premature ejaculation, entitled "Methods for delay of ejaculation in human males" (WO/2022/140417).

KH-001 is a unique proprietary form of a naturally-occurring alkaloid. Scientists at Kanna Health have elucidated the pharmacological targets of KH-001. Based on these data, Kanna Health demonstrated that KH-001 significantly delays ejaculation in a dose-dependent manner. KH-001 exhibits a fast onset of action, enabling a viable on-demand treatment for premature ejaculation, and represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of a disease with a high unmet medical need.

Kanna Health's President and inventor on the patent application, Dr Ryan Protzko, said "The data in our patent application show that KH-001 has tremendous potential as a treatment for premature ejaculation. The pharmacological profile of our compound is ideally suited to an acute, on-demand medication that treats premature ejaculation."

To date, there are no approved treatments for premature ejaculation in the US.

One of Kanna Health's scientific advisory board members, Dr. Andrea Burri, shared: "Premature ejaculation is a distressing condition, in which men orgasm too quickly before or during sexual intercourse. There are currently no treatments approved by the FDA, even though it affects up to 20% of men. These men report lower levels of sexual functioning and satisfaction, decreased self-esteem, and higher levels of personal distress. Partners of these men also suffer, and report sexual dissatisfaction and frustration, as well as problems in the relationship."

John Boghossian, Kanna Health's CEO, stated: "We are really excited about this data and our development programme for KH-001. Based on the evidence we have to date, we believe KH-001 could represent a major breakthrough in the treatment of premature ejaculation. There is a major unmet medical need for a safe, efficacious on-demand treatment of premature ejaculation. We are advancing KH-001 into clinical development to address that need. This application complements the additional patent applications we have filed protecting KH-001."

About Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is the most common form of male sexual dysfunction (Carson & Gunn, IJIR, 18, S5-S13 (2006)). Men with premature ejaculation can feel stigmatised, and as a result, the true prevalence is likely to be higher than 20%. In addition to the physical symptoms, premature ejaculation frequently causes anxiety and emotional distress to affected individuals and often adversely impacts the relationship with their sexual partner.

About Kanna Health Ltd
Kanna Health is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Kanna Health is developing novel medicines for areas of unmet medical need, derived from and inspired by the alkaloids found in Sceletium tortuosum (kanna). Kanna has been used for mood and performance enhancement purposes by the San and Khoikhoi communities in South Africa for hundreds of years.

Further information:
For further information, please contact John Boghossian, [email protected], +44 (0)7400 964226