CANTON, Mass., Feb. 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative abuse-deterrent treatments for chronic pain and other diseases, announced that Application No. 13/551,455, an application relating its DETERx technology platform, was allowed for issuance as a new patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent contains claims that provide broad coverage for opioids and other drugs prone to abuse that could leverage the DETERx technology platform. Once issued, this will be Collegium's seventh U.S. patent related to the DETERx technology platform.
Xtampza ER (oxycodone extended-release capsules), Collegium's lead development program, is the first of a number of product candidates utilizing the DETERx technology platform. Xtampza ER is designed to maintain its extended-release profile after being subjected to common methods of tampering. The abuse-deterrent properties incorporated into Xtampza ER are designed to make it more difficult to manipulate for the purpose of abuse or misuse via common routes of administration including chewing, crushing and/or dissolving, and then taking orally, snorting, or injecting. Collegium recently announced that the FDA accepted for filing the Company's NDA for Xtampza ER.
"These newly allowed claims continue to strengthen and expand our overall patent coverage for the DETERx technology platform. We are continuing to focus on the prosecution of additional patents that support our lead product, Xtampza ER, and the DETERx technology in both the U.S. and internationally," states Michael Heffernan, CEO of Collegium.
About DETERx Technology
The DETERx technology platform consists of a microsphere-in-capsule formulation. While developed primarily to provide abuse-deterrent properties to protect against common methods of tampering such as chewing, crushing, insufflation, and extraction for IV injection, the microsphere design is intended to enable patients with difficulty swallowing to open the capsule and administer the contents onto food or via feeding tube, while maintaining the extended-release (ER) properties of the product. The DETERx technology can be used with drugs that are commonly abused such as opioids and amphetamines, as well as drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index that would benefit from protection against misuse. The DETERx technology platform is covered by U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications. Xtampza ER (oxycodone extended-release capsules) is the first of a number of Collegium product candidates using the DETERx platform.
About Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing a portfolio of products that incorporate its patent-protected DETERx technology platform for the treatment of chronic pain. The DETERx oral drug delivery technology is designed to provide extended-release delivery, unique abuse-deterrent properties, and flexible dose administration options. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.collegiumpharma.com.