Alitair receives U.S. patent allowance for ion exchange resin formulation of benzonatate

Alitair Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its ion exchange resin formulation of benzonatate. The patent includes specific claims for reducing or eliminating the choking hazard associated with conventional liquid formulations of benzonatate.    

"Benzonatate is the only non-narcotic prescription cough product available today, but in its current form, it has a significant choking hazard if a patient bites into the liquid-filled gel cap. Our oral solid ion exchange resin formulation has been shown to reduce or eliminate the choking hazard," stated Alitair President and CEO, William W. Howard, Ph.D. "Our proprietary technology allows us to bind benzonatate to a resin particle, which represents a completely novel formulation approach and resolves this significant safety issue."

"This Notice of Allowance marks an important milestone in our benzonatate product development strategy and may be the key to benzonatate becoming a successful Rx-to-OTC switch candidate," continued Howard. "This is highly desirable, because the need for safe and effective non-narcotic cough formulations is great, especially when you consider how widespread dextromethorphan abuse has become."

Alitair is filing a second patent related to its benzonatate product candidate, which will further strengthen the Company's intellectual property portfolio. Alitair is actively seeking a partner for its benzonatate product candidate and estimates annual sales between $75 and $100 million for a prescription or OTC benzonatate product using its proprietary ion exchange resin technology.