Underscoring the innovation leadership of its GIPET (Gastrointestinal Permeation Enhancement Technology) drug delivery technology, Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, an international specialty pharmaceutical company, recently announced the grant of US Patent No. 7,658,938, Solid Oral Dosage Form Containing an Enhancer. In addition to the existing European patent, this one too covers the company’s GIPET enhancer system used to enable the development of oral forms (tablets) of drugs that have poor absorption and are generally given by injection.

“This is a significant development for Merrion’s GIPET technology,” said John Lynch, Chief Executive Officer at Merrion. “The continued growth of our patent estate further establishes us as one of the leading companies in this space.”

In November 2008, a partnership between Novo Nordisk and Merrion created the opportunity to develop and commercialize oral formulations of Novo Nordisk’s proprietary insulin analogues using the GIPET technology. Reaffirming the collaboration as a highly positive development in December 2009, Novo Nordisk initiated clinical trials for NN1952, an oral insulin analogue formulated through Merrion’s technology.

The enhancers covered by the patent have the ability to enhance oral absorption many fold compared to standard formulations. This technology can therefore be used to enable oral (tablet) administration of compounds that are normally administered only as injectables, usually in hospital or clinic settings. Efficacy, safety, and side-effect profiles of drugs can be improved substantially using this delivery technology. In addition, the new products developed have potential for very significant quality-of-life improvements for patients and substantial economic improvements for hard-pressed healthcare systems.

“Merrion’s GIPET technology has been validated in several products, demonstrating that we deliver real value to patients and healthcare providers,” added Mr. Lynch. “For example, Orazol, our lead pipeline product, showed excellent results in a Phase IIb study published at last year’s meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.”