2 September 2015 - US-based Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM) has been granted US patent 9,119,778, for the company's underlying iSPERSE inhaled dry powder technology, the company said on Wednesday.

The patent broadly covers small, dense and dispersible dry powders that are comprised of proprietary combinations of divalent cation salts and excipients.

These patented dry powders have the potential to enable and/or improve new approaches for the treatment of lung disease and to facilitate greater efficiency in the delivery of pharmaceuticals to the lungs.

The company now has 37 issued patents worldwide covering the iSPERSE technology through at least 2030.

Pulmatrix said that iSPERSE (inhaled Small Particles Easily Respirable and Emitted) technology has the potential to solve significant limitations of other inhalation technologies available, such as nebulizers, metered dose inhalers, and conventional lactose blend dry powder inhalers.

iSPERSE particles are engineered to be small, dense, and easily dispersible upon inhalation, thereby delivering the drugs more efficiently to the airways.

This targeted airway delivery of drugs also reduces systemic exposure and potential side effects. Importantly, unlike other traditional inhalation technologies, iSPERSE is also flow rate independent, providing reliable dose delivery across patient populations regardless of the status of patient lung function.

Pulmatrix is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary disease using its patented iSPERSE technology.

The company's proprietary product pipeline is focused on advancing treatments for rare diseases, including PUR1900, an inhaled anti-fungal for patients with cystic fibrosis, as well as PUR1500, an inhaled product for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

In addition, Pulmatrix is pursuing opportunities in major pulmonary diseases through collaboration with partners.

This includes PUR0200, a branded generic in clinical development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in collaboration with Mylan N.V., and other potential first-in-class treatments. 

Pulmatrix's product candidates are based on iSPERSE, its proprietary dry powder delivery platform, which seeks to improve therapeutic delivery to the lungs by maximizing local concentrations and reducing systemic side effects to improve patient outcomes.