OptiBiotix Health plc (AIM: OPTI), a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol diabetes and skin care, has told DirectorsTalk about a new patent filing. The filing protects the combination of OptiBiotix’s Lactobacillus plantarum strain along with other ingredients identified by scientific key opinion leaders which act synergistically to reduce cardiovascular risk factors.
The patent filing follows on from the announcement on the 7 April 2016 relating to human studies which demonstrated 0.1g of a capsulated product has commercial potential as a safe, easy to use, low cost cholesterol reducing supplement. The filing of this patent extends OptiBiotix’s protection across a broader range of market opportunities and increases the number of partnering opportunities.
Current products for cardiovascular disease tend to focus on single risk factors, largely LDL (bad) cholesterol. However, there is a growing evidence base that suggests cardiovascular risk is a sum of a number of factors including triglycerides and blood pressure.
The novelty in the new patent filing is that when used in combination with OptiBiotix’s cholesterol reducing strain the combination has the potential to:-
i. Reduce multiple cardiovascular risk factors in a single presentation ii. Enhance the overall effect on LDL reduction based on synergies in mechanism of action iii. Reduce statin dosage mitigating possible side effects and improving patient compliance
The Company believes that filing this patent adds a further layer of protection to its intellectual property portfolio, creates a valuable asset, and broadens the number of product and partnering opportunities which now expands from consumer health to pharma.
Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented: “We are pleased to announce the filing of this patent which adds a further level of protection and value to our cholesterol and blood pressure reducing product. Given the scale of the market opportunity in cardiovascular health and the limitations of existing products, combining our safe and efficacious product with existing treatments significantly broadens the commercial opportunity for OptiBiotix. Commercial discussions will continue with potential partners across both consumer and pharma to fully exploit the opportunity as a cholesterol and/or hypertension supplement, in isolation, or in combination with existing approaches.”
