Chimerix Granted Patent for CMX001
SAN DIEGO, CA, April 27, 2004 – Chimerix, Inc. and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,716,825 entitled “Phosphonate Compounds” by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent claims novel phosphonate and phosphonate-containing compounds, methods for production of the compounds, and methods for the treatment of a variety of medical disorders using the compounds. The technology covered in the patent was invented in the laboratory of Karl Hostetler, M.D., professor of medicine at UCSD and the San Diego Veterans Affairs Health System. UCSD has granted world-wide exclusive rights to Chimerix for commercialization of the modified phosphonate compounds described in the patent. Chimerix is currently developing CMX001, an orally-available phosphonate drug claimed in the patent, for the prevention and treatment of smallpox infection, as well as complications resulting from the smallpox vaccination. Development of CMX001 is funded by a $36M Biodefense Partnership grant from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.
Previously characterized phosphonate compounds, such as the nucleotide phosphonate cidofovir, have been used to treat viral disease, but are generally not absorbed well after oral dosing. CMX001 and other compounds inclusive in the patent are absorbed well after oral dosing, are less toxic, and exhibit enhanced antiviral potency in cell culture assays. CMX001 is more potent than cidofovir in preventing replication of the smallpox virus in cell culture assays, and in three different models of poxvirus disease was shown to be 100% effective in preventing poxvirus induced mortality after oral dosing.
“There is a widely recognized need for a safe oral drug therapy for smallpox infection to complement the smallpox vaccination program,” said George Painter, president and CEO of Chimerix. “The technologies covered in this patent allow Chimerix to develop and market CMX001 world-wide for the treatment of smallpox and complications resulting from the smallpox vaccine.”
About Chimerix
Chimerix Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company creating and developing orally available medicines from bioactive molecules. Application of Chimerix's proprietary technology enhances oral availability, stabilizes drug in plasma, and facilitates the delivery of drugs into targeted tissues. Known drugs can be modified to improve dosing parameters, broaden therapeutic applications and decrease the risk of adverse reactions. Chimerix is applying its technology towards discovery and development of oral drugs for the treatment of smallpox, drug-resistant HIV infection and viral hepatitis. Chimerix was founded in 2002 with investment funding from Sanderling Ventures and Asset Management. The company is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with offices in Research Triangle Park, NC.
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