ReGen adds to US patents on cognitive supplement
peptide nutraceutical Colostrinin, which it is planning to
introduce in the North American market as a dietary supplement for
cognitive health.
The compound, a mixture of peptides derived from colostrum, are thought to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by reducing the build-up of beta amyloid, a toxic protein that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers.
Initially targeting the pharmaceutical market, ReGen already holds a patent for the use of Colostrinin in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions in 10 countries.
But it also has a UK patent for its use as a dietary supplement in combination with other substances.
The new patent covers the use of Colostrinin, its constituent peptides and analogues to promote cytokine induction. Cytokines are molecules that are involved in communication between cells. Induction of these molecules can modulate the immune response in Alzheimer's patients, according to the firm's scientific team, helping to explain the clinical benefits of Colostrinin revealed in studies.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on 106 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, published last year, found that after 15 weeks of taking the product in tablet form, around 40 per cent of the patients were stabilised or had an improved overall response in tests on cognitive function.
ReGen chief executive Percy Lomax told NutraIngredients.com in June that the firm was already in advanced discussions with a nutraceutical company active in the US, Canada and Mexico.
"Our most advanced discussions are in the US but we are also talking to marketing partners in Europe, Japan and Oceania," he said, adding that a Colostrinin supplement could be on the North American market next year.
The new US patent is based upon long-term research done at the University of Texas Medical Branch, which has been sponsored by ReGen. UTMB has licensed the patented technology to ReGen under a worldwide exclusive license agreement between the two parties.
ReGen has filed a number of other patent applications in relation to the product's constituent peptides and analogues, which are currently being evaluated by the relevant patent authorities, it said.
