WARRINGTON, PA — Windtree Therapeutics, Inc. (NasdaqCM: WINT) recently announced a significant milestone, with the European Patent Office granting Patent No. 3805243. This patent provides composition of matter coverage for the pure SERCA2a Activator class of drug candidates, a potential game-changer in heart failure treatment.
The pure SERCA2a Activators are one of two families of preclinical drug candidates that act on SERCA2a in Windtree’s pipeline. These activators exclusively stimulate SERCA2a and do not affect the Na+/K+ pump. The new European patent titled “Androstane Derivatives with Activity as Pure or Predominantly Pure Stimulators of SERCA2a for the Treatment of Heart Failure” ensures patent protection until October 9, 2039 for this family of compounds with the pure SERCA2a mechanism of action.
In contrast, the other family of SERCA2a Activators works through a dual mechanism of action, inhibiting the Na+/K+ pump while activating SERCA2a. Windtree previously announced that this family of activators had received composition of matter patents from both the European Patent Office and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The pure SERCA2a Activators, intended for both oral and intravenous administration, could potentially be developed for use in the chronic outpatient heart failure market and acute settings. In the U.S., nearly 2% of the adult population, or approximately 6 million people, suffer from heart failure. Half of these patients are expected to die within five years of diagnosis. The combined U.S., EU, and Japan markets host over 18 million patients suffering from heart failure, making it the leading cause of hospitalization in patients aged 65 years and older.
“SERCA2a activity is decreased in heart failure. At Windtree, we believe activating SERCA2a represents a potentially crucial advancement in heart failure treatment for patients,” said Craig Fraser, CEO of Windtree Therapeutics. “Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a condition where the heart’s main pumping chamber becomes stiff and can’t fill properly. SERCA2a activation could be beneficial in this type of heart failure, which accounts for nearly half of the chronic heart failure patients. Given the potential for oral use, it could be utilized in both the chronic outpatient and hospital markets.”
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