Pharmigene Secures Patents in Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore, and Taiwan -(BUSINESS WIRE)- June 02, 2011 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time -Pharmigene, a leader in advancing personalized medicine and reducing severe adverse reactions to drugs through genetic-based diagnostic solutions, today announced it has been granted patents in Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore, and Taiwan. The patents are related to methods used to predict dosage of the widely-prescribed anti-coagulant drug warfarin based on genetic variations in the human VKORC1-1639 gene. Recently, Pharmigene was granted licensee rights to VKORC1-1639 SNP related patents and applications from both the University of Washington and Academia Sinica, Taiwan, giving the company the most complete VKORC1-1639 SNP patent portfolio. "The award of these patents in key areas of the globe, including the United States, moves us one step closer to realizing Pharmigene's goals of bettering patient care and positively impacting the world's healthcare system""The award of these patents in key areas of the globe, including the United States, moves us one step closer to realizing Pharmigene's goals of bettering patient care and positively impacting the world's healthcare system," commented Dr. Luke Chen, CEO of Pharmigene. With several millions of people starting on anti-coagulant therapy each year around the world, the use of warfarin with genetic testing offers improved outcomes for the patient, doctor, and the overall healthcare system. Studies have shown that leveraging patient genetic information, such as the variance of VKORC1-1639, can reduce hospitalization rates by almost one-third for patients taking the drug. Warfarin is prescribed for the prevention of blood clots, atrial fibrillation, or prosthetic heart valve replacement with the optimum dose for each patient varying widely. Warfarin can cause massive internal bleeding if too much is taken, but if too little is given during treatment, the drug may not have the intended effect on the patient's condition. Pharmigene's technologies can assist doctors in determining a proper dosage for each specific patient, reducing the chances of serious complications.
About Pharmigene Pharmigene's mission (www.pharmigene.com) is to improve personal health and advance personalized medicine by providing genetic-based diagnostic solutions that enable individuals to become more informed about their genetic makeup and allow them and their healthcare professionals to make better health decisions. An example is a study involving executives of Pharmigene that was recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine related to detection of the HLA-B*1502 allele and patient treatment with carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug. Pharmigene was founded in 2005 with exclusive worldwide intellectual property rights related to warfarin sensitivity and other adverse drug reactions from Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Currently Pharmigene has offices in Palo Alto, California, as well as offices and a research and GMP/ISO manufacturing facility in Taiwan.
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