WARRINGTON, Pa., Jan. 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq:DSCOD) has been notified that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent Number 7,863,241 titled "Compositions for Treatment and Prevention of Pulmonary Conditions." The patent provides broad coverage for compositions that employ a combination of certain pulmonary surfactants with a broad array of protease inhibitors, administered as either a liquid or aerosol, for treating pulmonary inflammation. Dr. Charles Cochrane, the original inventor of Discovery Labs' proprietary surfactant technology and co-founder of The Scripps Research Institute, is the inventor of this newly-issued patent. The Scripps Research Institute has granted Discovery Labs exclusive licensing rights for this patent. The patent term expires in 2023.