Avicanna Inc (TSX:AVCN, OTCQX:AVCNF) has announced that it has filed a provisional patent application for the use of a novel cannabinoid formulation for reducing or eliminating the incidence of seizures and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
The Toronto-based biopharmaceutical company said its formal application was filed with World Intellectual Property Organization by claiming the priority date of a US provisional application filed in September 2022 using the Patent Cooperation Treaty system.
The patent has been filed after Avicanna’s completion of in-vivo animal studies carried out as part of the company’s ongoing collaboration with leading epilepsy researcher Dr. Peter Carlen of the Krembil Research Institute at the University Health Network.
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Researchers found that the formulation candidate showed anti-convulsant properties and strong potential to treat patients diagnosed with intractable forms of epilepsies and those at risk of seizure-induced sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, Avicanna said.
Further testing by Dr. Mac Burnham’s research team at the University of Toronto showed the formulation candidate demonstrated strong anti-convulsant properties and therapeutic index value as compared to CBD alone.
Avicanna said it intends to advance this formulation candidate through its drug delivery platform and progress it through pre-clinical studies with a view toward potential future clinical studies.
Avicanna executive vice president of research and product development Dr. Frantz Le Devedec said this collaborative research and the resulting patent submission would be a major driver for the company’s long-term drug and clinical development plan.
He also noted that it was a validation of the potential of its scientific platform and drug pipeline.
“Validating the anti-convulsant properties of our proprietary formulation in seizure disorders is important particularly since this combination drug has the potential to reduce the likelihood of seizure-induced sudden death in epilepsy patients,” he said.
Avicanna is a commercial-stage, international biopharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization of evidence-based, cannabinoid-based products.
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