MELBOURNE, VICTORIA. (15th Feb, 2011) – Specialty pharmaceutical company Hatchtech Pty Ltd is pleased to announce that it continues to secure global patent protection for its core DeOvo™ head lice treatment technology. In December 2011 Hatchtech received two additional patents to add to its growing patent portfolio.
The recent addition of issued patents in Japan and India adds to Hatchtech’s patent portfolio which has been steadily growing since 2010. The granting of U.S. Patent No. 7,812,163 in October 2010 was an important highlight for the Company, providing its core technology with patent coverage in a key marketing sector until October 2026. The U.S. Patent was granted soon after the counterpart Australian Patent. In addition, 2010 saw the issuance of Chinese and New Zealand Letters Patents as well as that granted in South Africa.
The issued patents in Hatchtech’s portfolio are directed to the inhibition of ectoparasite egg hatching by topical application of not only the active ingredient in DeOvo™ but additional compounds that are in the same chemical class. Specific claims have also been procured to the use of a core compound.
Hatchtech CEO, Tim Waugh commented, “The last two years have seen Hatchtech secure robust patent protection in key jurisdictions. This places Hatchtech’s DeOvo technology in a competitive position on a global platform and we continue to aggressively pursue patent coverage in other territories”.
Company Contact Media Inquiries
Dr Paul Kelly
Chairman
+61 (2) 8205-7379
pkelly@one-ventures.com
Mr Tim Waugh
Chief Executive Officer
+1 973 652 8688
twaugh@hatchtech.com.au
College Hill:
Dr Christelle Kerouedan, Daniel Gooch
Tel: +44 (0) 207 866 7866 or 7888
christelle.kerouedan@collegehill.com
daniel.gooch@collegehill.com
About Hatchtech
Hatchtech Pty Ltd is a venture-backed specialty pharmaceutical product company that is developing technology for the control of invertebrate pests. The Company’s investors include, GBS Venture Partners, Queensland Biotechnology Fund, Uniseed, University of Melbourne Endowment Trust, AustralianSuper, and OneVentures Innovation Fund. The OneVentures Innovation Fund is supported by the Australian Government through the IIF program.
The company’s lead product is DeOvo™, a class-leading head lice control agent that aims to overcome the frustrating, costly and inconvenient cycles of re-treatment experienced currently by children and their parents.
Hatchtech Pty Ltd
Level 9, 278 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
www.hatchtech.com.au
About DeOvo™
Despite its prevalence and high cost to the community, there have been few major advances in controlling head lice infestation in recent years. Most pediculicide products have little ovicidal activity and require two treatments (approximately 7 days apart), with the second application designed to treat those lice which have hatched from eggs that survived the first treatment. Non-compliance with this regimen and the difficulty in choosing the optimal time for the second application, are major difficulties in using these products. Hatchtech’s DeOvo™, a topical formulation of an inhibitor of metalloproteases, has shown both ovicidal and lousicidal activity and offers the potential for a more effective treatment following a single application.
About Pediculosis
It is estimated that 6-12 million people in the United States, mainly children aged 3-12, are infested each year with head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). The direct cost of treatment is estimated at several hundreds of millions of dollars. Added to this direct economic burden are the indirect costs including missed days from school, lost work productivity by parents who stay home to treat their children and costs borne by the school itself in trying to control or prevent this problem. The total costs have been estimated to be 1billion USD in the US alone.
