US authorities accept patent for TECFIDERA

Officials in the US have given their approval to the patent.

Biogen Idec has  announced that additional protection for TECFIDERA, the company’s oral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, has been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Due to expire in 2028, the patent relates to the dosing regimen of daily administration of 480 mg of TECFIDERA.

The US Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, is currently considering the proposed marketing application for TECFIDERA.

“The patent for this dosing regimen is recognition of the remarkable innovation TECFIDERA represents for the MS community,” commented George Scangos, the chief executive officer of Biogen Idec.

He added: “The tremendous research investment required to study and validate the patented dosing regimen is an example of innovation that leads to meaningful benefits to patients.”

The move comes shortly after the European Patent Office accepted Biogen Idec’s application for a patent covering the same dosing regimen of TECFIDERA, with the patent also expiring in 2028.