Tetra Discovery Partners announced on 10/11/18 that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a third patent covering the company’s selective phosphodiesterase-4D (PDE4D) inhibitor, BPN 14770, and related compounds. The new patent, US 10,093,686, covers claims for the use such compounds in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and ischemia.

“This new patent further builds on the intellectual property protections for our lead compound, adding to the previously issued patents covering BPN 14770’s composition and use in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Mark Gurney, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tetra. "We believe this compound has the potential to benefit the lives of many patients with cognitive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and related illnesses.”

BPN14770 is a novel therapeutic agent that selectively inhibits phosphodiesterase-4D (PDE4D) to enhance early and late stages of memory formation. This unique mechanism of action has the potential to improve cognitive and memory function in devastating disorders including Fragile X Syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, learning/developmental disabilities and schizophrenia. Tetra Discovery has initiated an investigational Phase 2 study of BPN14770 in adults with Fragile X Syndrome, an indication for which BPN14770 has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Preparations are also under way to initiate a Phase 2 trial of BPN14770 in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

BPN14770 development is supported by the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network, a program designed to facilitate the discovery and development of novel neurological treatments. It is the first compound funded by the program to reach a Phase 1 clinical trial. Tetra is also developing another candidate, TDP101, intended to treat MS, Chronic Traumatic Encelopathy, and Alzheimer's.