Eli Lilly Patents Treatment for HIV and Ebola Virus

Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer which has existed since 1876. The corporation is heavily involved in creating medications for a wide spectrum of health conditions and it sells those treatments all over the world. Recently, a psoriasis treatment called ixekizumab created by Eli Lilly showed positive results in Phase 3 studies, leading company representatives to indicate that the drug would be submitted to regulatory authorities by the first half of 2015. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lately granted tentative approval to an insulin injection developed in part by Eli Lilly. Other recent Eli Lilly operations have led many to speculate that the corporation will make major inroads into biotech and autoimmune disease treatments over the coming years.

Here at IPWatchdog, we wanted to take some time in our Companies We Follow schedule to take a closer look at the incredible world of innovation in pharmaceuticals. In our perusal of Eli Lilly patent applications recently published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, we got a close look at many of the medications created in recent months by this company. Leukemia, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease are all addressed by innovative compounds which we explore in detail below. We also feature a trio of patent application related to improvements to injector pens for self-administration of medications. But perhaps most exciting is the patent that covers antibodies that could be used to treat the Ebola virus.

Eli Lilly has had troubles over the last year because of the expiration of some important patents, but we found some very intriguing patents issued by the USPTO in the past few months which may help the company recover its patent portfolio strength. One patent we discuss protects a treatment for suppressing the spread of viral infections within the body. Other patented treatments help patients combat conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and diabetes. We also profile two patents related to novel treatments for pain relief, including one making use of cannabinoid receptors for pain reduction.

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Issued Patents of Note: Treatments for Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Viral Infections 

A few key patent expiries which occurred within the past year have greatly impacted some major sources of pharmaceutical revenues for Eli Lilly. Competition from generic medicine manufacturers after the expiration of the patents for Cymbalta and Evista have eliminated much of the profit made from the sale of these medications. Knowing that Eli Lilly is facing difficult financial prospects because of the loss of important patents, we were intrigued to see which areas of development were a major focus as the corporation attempts to strengthen its patent portfolio.

From U.S. Patent No. 8759360, which is titled “Purine Compounds.”

A couple of treatments and pharmaceutical applications for pain relief are among the patents recently issued by the USPTO which we noticed in our latest perusal of Eli Lilly’s patents. A medication for pain relief which can serve as an effective alternative to opiates is protected for the company through U.S. Patent No. 8802728, issued under the title Analgesic Compounds, Methods, and Formulations. The pharmaceutical compound protected by this patent can be used on humans or prepared in veterinarily acceptable doses for mammals, especially companion animals like dogs or cats. The treatment has been developed to provide pain relief without the side effects of withdrawal and toxicity that come with the use of opiates and opioids like tramadol. Pharmaceutical medications for pain relief which involve the use of cannabinoid receptors are protected by U.S. Patent No. 8759360, which is titled Purine Compounds. The compound protected by this patent performs as an agonist to the CB2 cannabinoid receptor, which provides a way of treating pain peripherally with limited side effects. This pharmaceutical pain relief innovation can be used to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis or chemotherapy, and can also be prepared for either human or animal patients.

We saw in our coverage of Eli Lilly’s patent applications a number of recently developed medications for the management of conditions like diabetes and inflammatory diseases, but the company is also focused on developing solutions to medical problems which are much more devastating. With the current West African outbreak of Ebola making major news headlines in recent weeks, we were greatly intrigued to see one Eli Lilly invention that could be used to treat Ebola and other major viral infections, like HIV. U.S. Patent No. 8796423, titled Anti-TSG101 Antibodies and Their Uses for Treatment of Viral Infections, protects a method of inducing the expression of antibodies to Tumor Susceptibility Gene 101 (TSG101) within a patient’s body. TSG101, which plays an important role in cell growth, can be inhibited to prevent the budding of HIV or other viral infections. Eli Lilly has also received patents for some of its innovative treatments for neurological disorders, including the pharmaceutical composition protected by U.S. Patent No. 8772282, issued under the title Tetrahydropyrrolothiazine Compounds. This invention was designed to treat those patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and works by inhibiting the production of an enzyme known as ?-secretase. The patent states that this treatment could provide therapeutic benefits for an Alzheimer’s patient instead of simply symptomatic benefits, which is all most current Alzheimer’s treatments can offer.

From U.S. Patent No. 8796423, titled “Anti-TSG101 Antibodies and Their Uses for Treatment of Viral Infections.”

We’ll finish our discussion of Eli Lilly’s patents with a look at two more which protect treatments for other health conditions which may be experienced during a person’s life, especially as they age. Methods of protecting kidney function from drug-drug interactions within a patient’s body are disclosed by U.S. Patent No. 8778887, which is titled Therapeutic Uses of Soluble Alpha-Klotho. This method of administering a soluble form of alpha-Klotho, which is found naturally in the kidneys, can be used to treat against or prevent chronic renal disease, chronic renal failure and other health issues affecting the kidneys. Finally, we took a look at another innovation aimed at helping patients with diabetes, U.S. Patent No. 8815811, entitled Peptides and Methods for their Preparation and Use. The patent protects a peptide that can be used to modulate the activity of other amino acid peptides known as incretins, which can signal the body to take action relevant to glucose homeostasis. This treatment provides a similar glucose-lowering effect as incretins without the side effects of nausea or increases in glucagon, another peptide produced by the body which can increase glucose levels in the blood.

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Eli Lilly Patent Applications: Injector Pens and Pharmaceuticals for Diabetes, Cancer

From U.S. Patent Application No. 20140180218, titled “Refill Module for an Injection Device.”

A major developer of pharmaceutical medications, we did see a great many chemical compounds created by Eli Lilly for which the corporation wants patent-protected status. However, we were greatly intrigued by the number of patent applications filed to protect devices for administering medications to patients, especially devices designed for self-administration of medication through injection. An improved device for the self-administration of a variety of medications through an injection pen is described within U.S. Patent Application No. 20140142544, which is titled Medication Injector Apparatus with Drive Assembly That Facilitates Reset. This invention involves the use of a therapeutic dose indicating apparatus on a portable medication injector device that can sense the medicine concentration and proper dose volume. The therapeutic dose indicating apparatus can also display the determined therapeutic dose to a user. This innovation allows for easy reloading of an injector pen using different medications with a minimum of manual resetting on the part of the patient. Simple reloading of an injection device is also the focus of U.S. Patent Application No. 20140236084, entitled Automatic Injection Device with Delay Mechanism Including Dual Functioning Biasing Member. This patent application would protect a delay mechanism for an automatic injection device, which transfers force to the syringe during injection, provides a slimmer profile and an improved capacity for retracting the syringe needle into the device. More improvements to injection devices using disposable syringe inserts are expressed within U.S. Patent Application No. 20140180218, filed under the title Refill Module for an Injection Device. This patent application discloses a refill module which is mounted on a reusable plunger assembly which allows more simple and convenient refilling of a medicinal dose administered by an autoinjector. Like the ‘084 patent application for an automatic injection device listed above, this innovation would have the additional benefit of improved needle retraction after use, reducing the risk of inadvertently sticking someone with the needle.

As we cited in our discussion of Eli Lilly’s recent business operations and other news, insulin therapies for diabetes patients are one area of recent development for this corporation. Eli Lilly has also been trying to develop alternative remedies for diabetes, as we can see expressed within U.S. Patent Application No. 20140100179, filed under the title Novel Urea Compounds. As this patent application discusses, diabetes affects about 25 million Americans and is the 7th leading cause of death in this country. The compound which this patent filing would protect a treatment for inhibiting sodium-coupled glucose cotransporters (SGLTs). Inhibiting SGLTs in diabetic patients leads can reduce glucose absorption in the small intestine, making it an effective treatment for impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose. Eli Lilly is interested in developing pharmaceutical innovations which address health concerns experienced by many patients, not just diabetes. Inflammatory diseases have also been a focus for the medicine manufacturer, which we saw expressed in U.S. Patent Application No. 20140235718, which is titled Phenoxyethoxy Compounds. The compound this patent application could protect provides a method of treating physiological disorders causing inflammatory conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, by inhibiting levels of the prostaglandin EP4 receptor, the primary receptor involved in joint inflammatory pain. This pharmaceutical compound was designed to treat those with inflammatory diseases without producing the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects that can come from the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

From U.S. Patent Application No. 20140236084, entitled “Automatic Injection Device with Delay Mechanism Including Dual Functioning Biasing Member.”

Humans are not the only target for the medical therapies being developed by Eli Lilly. A topical application for the eradication of fleas and other pests from cats has been created by the company and disclosed by U.S. Patent Application No. 20140135280, filed under the title Ectoparasiticidal Methods and Formulations. The topical application described here would treat cats for fleas, lice, ticks and other ectoparasites through the use of spinetoram. Spinetoram can provide long-term topical control, reducing the number of applications and associated toxicity risks, and also kills these parasites quickly. The compositions discussed in this patent application would contain between 70 milligrams and 100 milligrams of spinetoram per dose. In the final patent application we’ll explore today, we were intrigued by a novel method for treating clonal neoplasms, such as leukemia, which can be caused by abnormalities in a patient’s chromosomes. U.S. Patent Application No. 20140235621, entitled Hematopoietic Neoplasm Chemotherapy, would protect a treatment regimen for leukemias which can inhibit and regulate the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) in a patient’s body. According to the patent application, inhibition of GSK3 may also provide benefits in patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, as well as non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

 

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