Femina Pharma Announces Issuance Of United States Patent 8,178,123 To Improve Drug Absorption For Cancer And HIV/AIDS Populations

MIAMI, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Femina Pharma Incorporated announced the issuance of US Patent 8,178,123.  This patent covers methods of improving drug delivery, particularly for cancer and HIV/AIDS populations.

Prof. Giovanni Pauletti, a named inventor of the patent, explains the background and significance of the '123:

"The gastrointestinal tract is physiologically designed to digest food, absorb nutrients, and serve as an effective barrier protecting the internal milieu of the body from microorganisms and other disease-causing agents. Consequently, it is not surprising that blood concentrations for the majority of our drugs are less than expected due to incomplete absorption and/or significant degradation after oral administration.

This patent describes new opportunities for patients to obtain greater therapeutic benefit from drugs that are not completely absorbed after oral administration and/or cause significant gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and bleeding. Specifically, this invention aims at improving treatment options for patients diagnosed with cancer or HIV/AIDS. Most drugs used in the management of these diseases are poorly absorbed after oral administration and required either high doses that can cause significant gastrointestinal side effects or administration via injection.

To overcome this unsatisfactory limitation, the inventors of this patent created novel pharmaceutical compositions that protect a drug from extensive enzymatic degradation and, simultaneously, augment drug permeation across biological membranes. These unique formulations comprise of a mixture of plant-based inhibitors of the dominant metabolic cytochrome P450 enzyme system and FDA-approved excipients that enhance drug absorption across biological membranes by inhibiting specific transport proteins that prevent drug absorption (i.e., efflux systems such as P-glycoprotein). As many drugs are effectively eliminated by the liver, these novel compositions are designed for patient-controlled self-administration in anatomical regions where absorbed drug is not directly transported to the liver (e.g., oral or vaginal cavity). As a consequence, patients will experience greater therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects due to lower drug doses administered."

Joseph Fuisz of Femina commented:  "We are very proud of this issuance, the benefits for these critical patient areas, and our continuing progress at Femina."

About Femina Pharma Incorporated:

Femina Pharma Incorporated is a vaginal drug delivery company formed through the acquisition of the vaginal drug delivery assets of UMD Inc.  Femina Pharma is managed by Joseph Fuisz and Richard C. Fuisz, M.D. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Carl_Fuisz). The Fuiszes have made substantial contributions in drug delivery including orally dissolving tablets and novel particle coating systems at Fuisz Technologies; inventing and developing thin film drug delivery technologies at Kosmos Pharma and MonoSol Rx, as well as independently developing extruded sheet technology, and have extensive experience working with big and specialty pharma (www.fuisz.com).

SOURCE Femina Pharma Incorporated