REHOVOT, Israel - D-Pharm Ltd. received notice of allowance on a U.S. patent covering use of its DP-BAPTA family of neuroprotective drug candidates.

The lead compound is in advanced preclinical development for the treatment and prophylaxis of ischemia-reperfusion damage in stroke, head trauma and open-heart surgery.

“We are very pleased by the patent office's allowance of our broad claims on medical uses of the DP-BAPTA family,“ said Yaffa Beck, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “This follows a recent patent allowance on claims for our targeted anti-epileptic drugs, including DP-VPA, a new and improved valproic acid derivative. These patent allowances strengthen D-Pharm's position as a leading developer of new and improved drugs utilizing lipid-based targeting platforms.“

DP-BAPTA is a lipophilic derivative of a well-known calcium chelator that is modified to be selectively activated within cell membranes.

“Selective activation of DP-BAPTA in cell membranes provides for an excellent safety and pharmacology profile in animal models of brain ischemia,“ observed Itzchak Angel, vice president of research and development. “Moreover, we see DP-BAPTA as the first of a new family of ion-modulating agents, active via a novel mechanism with potential applications for multiple pathologies.“

D-Pharm's selective molecular activation and routing technologies (SMARt) are designed to allow site activation of pharmacological agents to therapeutic targets by utilizing the body's natural biological systems. - Rachelle H.B. Fishman