SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Santalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the granting by the Australian Patent Office of patent No. 2011223758 containing sixteen claims covering the use of sandalwood oil compositions to treat a variety of cancers including leukemia and solid tumors, such as bladder cancer, and others.
According to Dr. Paul Castella, CEO of Santalis Pharmaceuticals, “We’re very pleased that the first patent allowed to us in Australia since we became part of Quintis Ltd. in Perth will protect the use of pharmaceuticals intended to treat life-threatening disease. This patent will further validate our strategy of protecting novel compositions, formulations and uses of high-purity Sandalwood Album Oil produced by Quintis Ltd.”
Sandalwood Album Oil (SAO), also known as East Indian sandalwood oil (EISO), is currently being studied in several Phase 2 clinical trials in Australia and the US for treatment of various skin conditions such as psoriasis, warts, atopic dermatitis and molluscum contagiosum. In addition, a mouth rinse containing SAO is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for prevention of oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing high-dose radiation therapy.
SAO is an essential oil with a long history of use in traditional medicine and its broad range of biological activities and excellent safety profile make it an attractive, unique drug candidate for broader clinical development in a variety of life-threatening indications. Santalis’ Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Corey Levenson stated: “Most of our clinical efforts to date have focused on dermatology and Sandalwood Album Oil’s anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties. This patent will underscore the importance of our research on SAO’s novel anti-proliferative effects and its potential for use in the treatment of cancer.”
ABOUT SANTALIS PHARMACEUTICALS:
Santalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quintis, Ltd. (ASX: QIN). Santalis, and its sister company, Santalis Healthcare Corporation (formerly known as ViroXis Corporation), were acquired by Quintis in July 2015 and are developing scientifically- and clinically-validated over-the-counter and prescription products that utilize Quintis’ cultivated, sustainable, pharmaceuticalgrade Sandalwood Album Oil (SAO). Santalis’ product development programs are focused in dermatology and oral health, where SAO’s well documented safety and anti-infective, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory properties are well suited to a number of prevalent and underserved conditions.
Santalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Jim Traa, CBO, 210-399-2318
jim@santalispharma.com
