SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX:TTP) today announced that it has received an Office Action from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) rejecting the claims in the Company’s method of use patent application for the use of Probuphine in the treatment of opioid addiction and chronic pain. Probuphine is Titan’s novel, subcutaneous implant formulation in development that delivers six months of buprenorphine, and is presently covered by U.S. and European patents licensed from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with terms that expire in 2009 and 2010 respectively. This does not impact the expected data exclusivity protection following product approval of 3 years in the U.S. (Hatch- Waxman Act) and 10 years in Europe, although it may make partnering in the U.S. more difficult. Titan is preparing a response to this Office Action to be submitted to the PTO.
