Zysis Gets LAO Aripiprazole Patent

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. patent 8,575,172 to Zysis, covering its Phase II-ready Long Acting Oral Aripiprazole Once Weekly (LAO Aripiprazole OW) product, a first-in-class antipsychotic therapy for orally dosed relapse prevention in patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

The patent covers the treatment of psychotic conditions with orally-delivered formulations of aripiprazole that provide for sustained-release, once-weekly therapy. Patents have already been granted in Europe, Israel and Australia and applications are pending in Canada, South Korea and Japan. The new patent and related applications are all solely owned by Zysis.

LAO Aripiprazole OW with medically supervised dosing is an alternative option to Long Acting Injectables (LAI) in the rapidly expanding market for prevention of psychotic relapse.  Non-adherence rates are extremely high with schizophrenia therapy; around 75% of patients are non-adherent within two years of being discharged from hospital, the consequences of which are medically and economically severe with 69% of patients with poor adherence suffering a relapse, according to company statements.