March 27, 2020:
Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Filing of New Patent Applications for a New Drug Delivery Platform and Vaccine Compositions for Immunizing Patients Against COVID-19 Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
New York-based Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Aquavit), a biotechnology company focused on the development of a first-of-its-kind microchannel drug delivery technology, today announces that the company has filed two patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent applications cover platform technologies directed to novel methods for immunizing patients against infectious diseases such as COVID-19 using microchannel delivery devices. The applications also cover unique vaccine compositions directed against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus antigens and a new microchannel drug delivery device capable of administering the vaccine compositions or other drugs by non-health care professionals which is crucial in times of a pandemic crisis.
“The skin is an immune inductive site rich in antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The superficial location of the skin makes it an attractive site for vaccine delivery but it is difficult to access the superficial skin layers using needle and syringe delivery, and vaccine antigens are challenging to deliver using standard topical formulations” says Dr. Daniel Nevrivy Ph.D., J.D., Aquavit’s Scientific Advisor.
The new devices, compositions and methods described in the patent applications enable the administration of therapeutic vaccine compositions using microchannel delivery into these hard to reach epidermal and dermal layers of the skin rich in APCs for promoting effective immune responses. The methods and devices are particularly useful during times of epidemic and pandemic crises, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, when there is no or limited access to health care providers and healthcare systems are strained or limited. Being able to self-administer or have the administration performed by a non-health care provider also reduces the risk that the patient may become infected by visiting a hospital or health care provider where there are many infected patients.
Aquavit’s microchannel technology overcomes the existing problems of vaccine delivery while also avoiding bleeding and pain that are normally associated with commercially available immunization methods. A related technology is currently used in Aquavit’s highly acclaimed AQUAGOLD® fine touch™ (www.aquagoldfinetouch.com) device. AQUAGOLD® is currently used by many medical professionals to micro-inject drugs and biologics into the dermal and epidermal skin layers for dermatological applications.
“The patent applications are important components of Aquavit’s formidable intellectual property portfolio covering various drug and vaccine candidates” says Sobin Chang, MPH, Chief Executive Officer of Aquavit and a Board Director of Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health. “The self-administering pandemic-ready platform has come in the wake of the recent global COVID-19 pandemic. We hope our technology will reach people who have no access or limited access to healthcare personnel or systems and that it can play a significant role in the fight against the coronavirus. We are actively working to bring these products to market as soon as possible.”
Aquavit’s IP portfolio covers four major areas including smart compounding technology, dermatology, vaccine administration, and skin cancer.
About Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aquavit Pharmaceuticals, Inc., located in New York City, is developing several innovative products and platform technology IP for personalized medicine. Aquavit’s major innovation is a patented micro-channel® technology - a novel route of administration (RoA) for drugs and biologics. Micro-channel® technology allows for inter-dermal delivery, which has higher efficacy and speed of delivery for any drug or therapeutic agent currently delivered either topically or via a patch form. Applications for micro-channel® technology range from medical aesthetics, dermatology, infectious diseases to oncology. The company’s mission is to modernize and personalize healthcare for patients through innovative drug and biologics delivery systems.
Additional information about Aquavit can be found at www.aquavitpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent any statements made in this release contain information that is not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting device approvals, acceptance and demand for new products, new product development and launch, reliance on key strategic alliances, availability of raw materials, availability of additional intellectual property rights, availability of future financing sources, the regulatory environment and other risks the Company may identify from time to time in the future.
Media Contact: Meghan Burke, Corporate Communications 212.253.0523 admin@aquavitpharma.com
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