Patent Issued for Dupuytren’s Contracture Drug

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a developer of specialty biopharmaceuticals, said today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent No. 7,811,560 covering purified collagenase, the active component in Auxilium’s drug Xiaflex. The drug is a treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture a thickening of the palm’s deep connective tissue.

The patent, says Auxilium, claims the Xiaflex drug product, process for producing the drug product, and pharmaceutical formulations comprising the drug product, and expires in July 2028. The company says it has filed applications with USPTO for related patent claims, which if granted could expand the scope of the original patent.

Dupuytren’s contracture is a progressive condition that affects the connective tissue that lies beneath the skin in the palm of the hand. First, painful nodules develop in the palm as collagen deposits accumulate. As with typical disease progression, the collagen deposits form a cord that stretches from the palm of the hand to a joint on the finger. Once this cord develops, a Dupuytren’s patient’s finger or fingers contract and the function of the hand is impaired.