Aphios® Corporation today announced that it was awarded United States Patent No. 7,744,935 B2 for "Compositions and Methods for Inhibiting 5-α Reductase," granted June 29, 2010. This invention is related to compositions and methods for treating diseases involving the 5-alpha (α) reductase enzyme.
“Compositions and Methods for Inhibiting 5-α Reductase”
5-α reductase is responsible for causing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and male pattern baldness (alopecia) in men as well as hirsutism (male-pattern body hair) in women. An estimated 50% of men above 50 in the United States have BPH that causes urinary hesitation and frequent urination and night time visits to the bathroom. The incidence of BPH increases to 60% for men over sixty, 70% for men above 70, 80% or men above 80 following an Arrhenius-type plot. BPH has been linked to the incidence of prostate cancer that is the most prevalent cancer among men; and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the US. More than 500,000 prostate cancer cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, 1 in 6 American males will develop prostate cancer and 300,000 die of prostate cancer each year.
This invention is utilized in Aphios' SuperCool™ Palmetto and Sperol™ products for several conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic cancer, hirsutism, acne, male pattern baldness, seborrhea, and other androgen hyperactivity diseases. The active pharmaceutical ingredient, finasteride, of Merck's Proscar® for BPH and Propecia® for male pattern baldness work by the same mechanism of 5-α reductase inhibition as SuperCool™ Palmetto and Sperol™, which are natural alternatives to these drugs with fewer side effects.