Munich, Germany – IDEA AG today announced the granting of a new US patent (7,473,432) that covers the recently improved Transfersome® technology and the Company’s lead product, Diractin®, which is already approved in Switzerland and in the final stage (phase III) of clinical development in Europe and the USA.

The invention describes and claims new formulations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) based on complex aggregates, the Transfersome® vesicles, with at least three amphiphatic components suspended in a suitable polar liquid.  The key characteristic of the aggregates is their ability to penetrate narrow hydrophilic pores in a semi-permeable barrier, such as the skin. This enables the Transfersome® carriers to transport NSAIDs through the skin barrier for improved local deposition and longer duration of drug action. The newly patented NSAID carriers moreover help to control the depth of drug delivery, by virtue of their special ability to bypass the sink of cutaneous blood capillaries. The carrier-mediated localized delivery of NSAIDs can consequently ameliorate therapy of diseased peripheral tissues below the site of administration, by supporting the beneficial action and minimizing the systemic side effects of such drugs.

The new patent also specifically covers Diractin® (ketoprofen in Transfersome® gel, formerly known as IDEA-033). It thus provides a valuable basis for future marketing of IDEA’s innovative targeted analgesic in the United States. In September 2007 IDEA has out-licensed the US right to a subsidiary of Alpharma Inc., which was recently acquired by King Pharmaceuticals Inc. The IP protection under this newly granted patent will last till June 2025.