Palatin Tech Announces USPTO Issued Notice of Allowance for Patent App 13/472,914

Palatin Technologies, Inc. PTN, a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted, receptor-specific peptide therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical need and commercial potential, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 13/472,914 (the '914 application).  The application includes composition of matter claims on two of Palatin's most advanced melanocortin receptor-1 specific peptides. Palatin is conducting in vitro and animal in vivo studies with the peptides claimed in the allowed patent and with related peptides.  Proposed indications under study include dermatologic indications such as vitiligo and erythropoietic protoporphyria, inflammatory bowel disease, ocular indications such as uveitis and dry eye, and nephritis and other kidney conditions.  Palatin plans to designate an initial clinical lead peptide candidate in the first half of 2013 and start toxicology and other preclinical studies preparatory to filing an Investigational New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The peptides claimed in the '914 application are highly specific for the melanocortin-1 receptor, with sub-nanomolar affinity binding and EC[50] functional values.  The peptides are also highly selective for the melanocortin-1 receptor, with greater than one thousand times the affinity for the melanocortin-1 receptor than for the melanocortin-4 or melanocortin-3 receptors.