SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 30, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hana Biosciences (OTCBB:HNAB), a biopharmaceutical company focused on strengthening the foundation of cancer care, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the use of menadione to prevent and treat skin rash in patients taking biologic and small molecule epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, such as Erbitux® and Tarceva®, for anti-cancer therapy. The U.S. Patent Application Number 11/886,803 is entitled "Vitamin K for Prevention and Treatment of Skin Rash Secondary to Anti-EGFR Therapy" and extends intellectual property protection around menadione into 2026. The Company also has a similar patent application for menadione co-pending in Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. Additional applications extending the use of menadione have been filed.
