Specialty pharmaceutical firm iX Biopharma on Monday secured European patent for its WaferiX drug delivery technology.
The grant allows iX Biopharma to obtain validation and coverage in the countries that currently make up the European Union, the compnay said in a regulatory filing.
WaferiX, a fast-dissolving wafer formulation, allows pharmacologically active compounds, such as ketamine and sildenafil, to be administered sublingually (i.e., placed under the tongue) and delivered safely into the blood stream.
"The technology offers a non-invasive, pain-free alternative to traditional routes of drug administration such as intravenous drips, injections and oral intake," the company said.
The WaferiX technology is used to develop many of the products in iX Biopharma's pipeline, it said.
The group also recently launched WafeRest, a sublingual melatonin wafer supplement, in Singapore.
Apart from the EU, iX Biopharma has also secured patents in nine other countries including Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and South Africa.
The patent will expire on 26 October 2030.
Shares in the company closed unchanged at S$0.215 on the Singapore Exchange. The stock has lost 23 percent so far this year.
