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    1. Dentistry
    2. Prosthodontics and Laboratory

    CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals announces U.S. patent for new IMPACS compound

    March 6, 2003
    First chemical compound patent from proprietary research effort is granted; patents for other compounds pending

    CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent 6,506,740 covering the first of its new IMPACS(R) (Inhibitors of Multiple Proteases and Cytokines) compounds.

    The patent, entitled "4-dedimethylaminotetracycline derivatives," issued January 14, 2003, is owned by CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The patent claims a specific chemical structure and its use for a wide variety of diseases involving, among other things, the destruction of the body's connective tissues.

    CollaGenex is employing multiple strategies to exploit its IMPACS technology, initially focusing on the development of products that use known antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial tetracyclines in new and proprietary ways.

    For example, the well-known antibiotic doxycycline, administered at a unique, proprietary, sub-antimicrobial dose, is the active ingredient in Periostat(R), CollaGenex's flagship product for the adjunctive treatment of adult periodontitis.

    Similarly, COL-3, a non-anti-microbial tetracycline compound which is the active ingredient in Metastat(R), is the subject of an extensive portfolio of patents describing its use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

    However, U.S. Patent 6,506,740 is the Company's first issued patent that claims a completely new chemical compound, representing a significant breakthrough in the development of the next generation of IMPACS-based products.

    "One of the Company's stated objectives has been to build a portfolio of proprietary IMPACS compounds with the potential for optimal therapeutic benefits and extended patent life," said Robert A. Ashley, senior vice president of commercial development at CollaGenex. "The particular compound disclosed in this patent is a substituted, non-antimicrobial derivative of minocycline, which may have characteristics particularly suitable for the treatment of inflammatory dermatological disorders such as rosacea."

    "Patents for numerous other compounds with a variety of novel properties are pending," continued Mr. Ashley. "The Company is now engaged in characterizing the proprietary compounds that offer the most promise for a given indication with a view to carrying out clinical development, either ourselves or in partnership with others."