The patent (No. 6,780,846) covers new peptide compounds which can be physically or chemically complexed with an active substance, either a drug or a biological, in order to improve delivery across membranes such as the epithelium of the gastro-intestinal tract.
This US patent follows the award earlier this year of a European patent covering this type of enhancer peptides, which forms the basis of Merrion's GIPET (gastrointestinal permeation enhancement technology).
"Using such complexes to improve the delivery of a drug to a specific target tissue both enhances the efficacy and reduces the side effects of the drug," said Merrion in a statement.
The patent is assigned to Elan, the Irish company whose drug delivery business formed the basis of Merrion's creation in 2004.
The delivery technology can also be used to enable the oral administration of compounds that are normally administered only as injectables.
According to Thomas Leonard, Merrion's chief scientific officer, "these peptide complexes have been demonstrated to improve the delivery of therapeutic peptides and other macromolecules across the GI tract, and to improve the delivery of DNA to cells."
Merrion's technology platforms also include a gastro-retentive system to provide extended release of drugs from the stomach and targeting molecules to enable oral vaccine delivery and to get drugs into the brain. The company has four products currently in Phase I clinical testing.