Starton Secures New Patent for Transdermal Lenalidomide Delivery
Starton Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for its STAR-LLD transdermal drug delivery patent application, providing potential extended patent protection through 2040.
According to a press release, the development broadens Starton’s patent scope to include transdermal drug delivery for lenalidomide and other immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs), which previously covered only subcutaneous administration. The new patent enables continuous low-dose delivery via the skin, aimed at reducing drug exposure while maintaining therapeutic blood levels for longer durations. The patent permits a dose rate of 10-75% of the daily oral dosage, which achieves comparable blood concentrations to the conventional oral dosing schedule.
Starton’s STAR-LLD, designed for hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), aims to lower area-under-the-curve (AUC) drug exposure, yielding improved efficacy and safety, according to the manufacturer.
“We are delighted to receive this notice from the USPTO, further expanding the protection of our continuous delivery lenalidomide program,” stated Pedro Lichtinger, Chairman and CEO, in a press release. “The transdermal delivery system that is the subject of the allowed patent application demonstrates our unique approach to lowering drug exposure and AUC (area-under-the-curve) to potentially improve efficacy and safety and demonstrate superiority.”