Koronis Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent for KP-1461 therapeutic in development for treatment of HIV

Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,244,732 that discloses the composition of KP-1461 -- the Company's lead antiviral therapeutic currently in a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The issued patent, titled "Prodrugs of Heteroaryl Compounds", covers the use and composition of KP-1461, an oral, small molecule antiviral therapeutic that works by Viral Decay AccelerationTM (VDA). VDA moves the virus to the point of collapse by increasing its naturally high rate of mutation. Drugs based on VDA, such as KP-1461, cause random errors throughout the viral genome at a rate that becomes unsustainable by the viral population and eventually drives it to the point of extinction. In vitro experiments have demonstrated the VDA mechanism, and scientists anticipate that similar findings will be noted in clinical trials of HIV-infected patients.

"It is significant to receive this first patent for a viral decay acceleration molecule, KP-1461, which is truly an innovative antiviral therapeutic approach unlike anything on the market or in development," said Donald Elmer, Chairman and interim chief executive officer of Koronis. "This extends our strong patent portfolio for VDA that now includes a total of seven issued U.S. patents."

Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company developing anti-viral therapeutics based on a novel mechanism, Viral Decay Acceleration (VDA). In addition to the Company's lead product candidate, KP-1461 for AIDS/HIV, the Company has products in development for the treatment of hepatitis C and RSV. For more information on Koronis, please visit

http://www.koronispharma.com/.