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60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals Receives Additional U.S. Patent Covering Tafenoquine for Prevention of Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria
60P was awarded additional U.S. patent protection to further solidify its exclusive rights through 2035 for tafenoquine for prevention of Plasmodium
About this update from 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"60P was awarded additional U.S. patent protection to further solidify its exclusive rights through 2035 for tafenoquine for prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in naïve individualsTafenoquine kills dormant liver stage of P. vivax parasite and clears the blood stages of P. falciparum WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals (“60P”) (Nasdaq: SXTP), specialists in developing and marketing medicines for infectious diseases, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded 60P a patent covering the use of tafenoquine for prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Tafenoquine is the active molecule in ARAKODA®, the Company’s FDA-approved drug for malaria prevention in individuals aged 18 years and older for up to six months of continuous dosing. Travelers from and residents of the United States are usually malaria naïve, that is, they have not previously contracted malaria and thus lack immunity to the disease. When contracted by these individuals, malaria can be a life-threatening disease. “Securing this patent is important for 60P,” said Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Dow. “It ensures that 60P can continue to maintain a long-term competitive position for the regimen of tafenoquine known as ARAKODA in the U.S. marketplace. Tafenoquine is effective against all species and stages of malaria. Furthermore, physicians can administer it weekly during travel. The current market leading malaria drugs do not kill latent vivax liver stages and must be given daily. We are pleased to have secured this additional patent on tafenoquine.” There were 1,823 symptomatic malaria cases in the United States in 2018 and the overall rate of cases is increasing. In the U.S., 95 percent of malaria cases occurring in returning travelers were in individuals who reported not taking, or failing to adhere to, CDC-recommended malaria chemoprophylactic regimens. No useful vaccine against malaria is approved in the U.S. Therefore, the CDC recommends the use of malaria chemoprophylactic drugs during travel. Local malaria transmission has become an increasing problem in the United States; Texas, Maryland and Florida have reported a total of nine such cases to date in 2023, prompting a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health warning. The Maryland case involved the parasite P...