A Canadian cannabinoid-focused commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company has filed a patent to protect a proprietary oral cannabinoid platform and its applications for treating neurological diseases.
Toronto, Ontario-based Avicanna today announced its filing of a provisional patent application in the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its novel oral cannabinoid technology.
Avicanna says it intends to commercialize the technology globally for medical and pharmaceutical applications, including treating neurological diseases and disorders.
According to the company, cannabinoids administrated orally have the most convenient route for non-invasive drug delivery, though the highly lipophilic nature and poor water-solubility of those currently available on the market have poor bioavailability and lack consistent dosing.
Avicanna says it designed its proprietary formulations to alter cannabinoids’ hydrophobic properties and enhance drug solubility, leading to better absorption and bioavailability sublingually or orally.
According to Avicanna, its formulations increase the efficacy of cannabinoids.
“Our novel formulations overcome the current limitations of cannabinoid finished products in the market today and offer enhanced absorption of varying cannabinoid profiles with controlled delivery,” says Avicanna VP of Research and Product Development Dr. Frantz Le Devedec. “We expect this will yield better patient outcomes and clinical results.”
Avicanna’s Oral Cannabinoid Compositions and Methods of Treating Neurological Diseases and Disorders patent application claims the company developed the formulations through its R&D platform.
The platform, says Avicanna, uses the company’s proprietary Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SEDDS) technology, which includes various drug delivery formats with varying release and absorption profiles.
Formats include oral capsules, sublingual tablets, water-soluble formulations, and sustained and controlled-release tablets.
“This patent submission is another example of our drug delivery platforms being used to develop industry leading products as we continue to innovate and lead the path with advanced, standardized, and evidenced (sic) based cannabinoid solutions,” says Avicanna CEO Aras Azadian. “We are optimistic about the potential of these formulations across several of our commercial and clinical platforms globally.”
Avicanna says it intends to conduct additional pre-clinical studies in the coming months to formalize the provisional application.
Avicanna says it will incorporate the technology into its clinical pipeline in 2022.
According to Avicanna, if the patent is granted, it will provide the company with protection on using the formulation candidates for neurological diseases, alone or together with other therapies.
