Merck Patents Drugs for Metabolic Disorders & Alzheimer’s

Merck & Co., Inc., also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme, MSD, is one of the world’s largest developers of pharmaceutical drugs and it is currently headquartered in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Currently, the corporation has nine major drugs in different stages of development which are attracting a lot of investor attention, leading some analysts to believe that Merck’s share prices will rise in the coming months. Merck was recently successful in petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve sales of Belsomra, the first insomnia drug designed to regulate the sleep-wake cycle by modulating the activity of orexin in the brain. The U.S. FDA also gave a fast-track designation in early September to move along development of a Merck antibiotic for hospital-acquired pneumonia.

As readers have probably noticed, we have recently surveyed patents and patent applications of pharmaceutical manufacturers as part of our Companies We Follow series. See Pfizer Focuses Recent Patent Activity on Antibacterial Agents and Eli Lilly Patents Treatments for HIV and Ebola. We’ll be wrapping up this segment focus with a look at Merck’s recent medical innovations, although we will certainly return to pharma and biotech again in the future.

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Merck Patents: Pharmaceuticals for Metabolic Disorders and Alzheimer’s Treatments 

Lending credence to Merck & Co.’s strength in pharmaceutical markets are the U.S. patent grants which this corporation continue to add to its intellectual property portfolio. From cancer to cardiovascular disease to neurological disorders and more, as we researched for this article we saw innovations in a wide range of medical fields coming from Merck. Often, these pharmaceutical compounds and formulas are designed to address a range of illness and health conditions which may be interrelated because of enzymes and other molecular agents working within a patient’s body.

Diabetes, metabolic disorders and obesity-related illnesses were an area of development for which Merck has successfully petitioned for patent rights. One recently issued patent which protects a compound to treat Type II diabetes is U.S. Patent No. 8809579, entitled Glucagon Receptor Antagonist Compounds, Compositions Containing Such Compounds and Methods of Use. This patent discloses a compound which functions as a glucagon receptor antagonist, inhibiting glucagon production and reducing levels of the substance in a patient’s plasma. Glucagon is typically secreted by the pancreas in response to falling blood glucose levels, and patients suffering from Type II diabetes typically have higher levels of plasma glucagon. A pharmaceutical composition to treat and prevent a variety of obesity-related illnesses, including diabetes, is protected for Merck by U.S. Patent No. 8815875, which is titled Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Binding Protein (FABP). The pharmaceutical compound protected here, which involves certain triazolopyrimidinones, is useful for inhibiting the production of fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs). FABPs regulate intracellular pathways which allow the progress of metabolic syndromes in patients. This compound works as a treatment for Type II diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Another therapy for treating the same collection of diseases has also been recently protected through the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 8822480, titled Bicyclic Heterocycle Derivatives and Use Thereof as GPR119 Modulators. This patent protects a pharmaceutical compound which modulates the activity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which is a known method for treating a variety of metabolic disorders, including Type I and Type II diabetes. GPCR modulation has also been effective in controlling food intake by inducing satiety.

From U.S. Patent No. 8809318, titled “Gamma Secretase Modulators.”

Much of our recent pharmaceutical patent coverage has featured a fair amount of innovation in the field of nervous system disorders, especially those inventions related to treatments for devastating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Yet another development which may aid patient’s fighting against Alzheimer’s is protected and disclosed by U.S. Patent No. 8815902, issued under the title Tetrahydroquinoline Amide M1 Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulators. The tetrahydroquinoline amide compounds protected by this patent regulate the activity of the muscarinic M1 receptor, which can help to reduce levels of the amyloid peptide found in Alzheimer’s patients, a characteristic of the disease. This treatment modulates M1 receptor activity without the side effects of previous treatments, which included sweating and diarrhea. The activity of amyloid protein in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other nervous system disorders is also a focal point of the medicine protected by U.S. Patent No. 8809318, issued under the title Gamma Secretase Modulators. This patent protects a pharmaceutical compound inhibiting the activity of gamma secretase and other enzymes involved in the production of amyloid beta. It’s believed, according to the description in this patent, that reductions in amyloid protein can treat or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease, making it a very important area of medical research.

Finally, we thought that we would end our foray into the vast world of with a quick look at a pharmaceutical product developed to help stop the progress of cancer within a patient’s body. U.S. Patent No. 8822405, which is titled Uses of Mammalian Cytokines and Agonists; Related Reagents, protects a method of treating cancer by administering thymic stromal lymphoietin (TSLP) to a patient. Inhibition of TSLP in a patient’s body is linked to metastasis and progression of cancerous cells within a patient’s body, and it is believed that giving patients an effective dose of this cytokine, a class of immune system secretions, can affect tumor regression in a patient.

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Merck’s Patent Applications: From Heart Disease Treatments to Intelligent Pharmaceutical Storage

Our recent survey of pharmaceutical companies in IPWatchdog’s Companies We Follow series showed us that companies like Merck, Eli Lilly and Pfizer have been very busy in the past few years in the development of pharmaceutical medications. Alzheimer’s, diabetes, bacterial infections and cardiovascular disease have been just a few health conditions which we’ve seen addressed in various patent filings. Interestingly, we noted a couple of Merck inventions disclosed in patent applications which involve pharmaceutical compounds for treating heart disease specifically by inhibiting the steroid hormone aldosterone. U.S. Patent Application No. 20140228396, filed under the title Triazolopyridyl Compounds as Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitors, would protect a pharmaceutical medication which includes triazolopyridyl compounds, a substance which is effective in inhibiting aldosterone synthase, an enzyme which is required for aldosterone biosynthesis. Aldosterone, which is secreted by the adrenal cortex, retains sodium and water while excreting potassium, resulting in higher blood pressure and inflammation. Another medication for treating cardiovascular disease by reducing aldosterone production within the body could be protected through U.S. Patent Application No. 20140235667, which is titled Imidazopyridyl Compounds as Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitors. The pharmaceutical product described here would use novel imidazopyridyl compounds to achieve the same job of the medication expressed within Merck’s ‘396 patent application. Both of these compounds can be used to treat patients or can be used as scientific tools for biochemical research or for in vitro cellular and tissue diagnostic tests.

Prohibiting adverse immune system responses in patients is another area of recent development for Merck & Co. Methods of treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases could become part of Merck’s patent portfolio thanks to the filing of U.S. Patent Application No. 20140234301, entitled Modulation of PILR to Treat Immune Disorders. This patent application describes a method of treating various diseases and disorders through the regulation of certain immunoglobulins, which are protein agents of the immune system that function as antibodies. This immunoglobulin treatment can help in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, diabetes and more. Other methods of suppressing unwanted immune system responses may be protected through U.S. Patent Application No. 20140227719, filed under the title MD-1 Ligand. The treatment method which would be protected by this filing controls the activity of T lymphocytes, immune system agents that can create poor health conditions when they become too aggressive. The T cells targeted by this treatment are involved in autoimmune conditions leading to inflammatory problems, such as enthesopathy.

Inventions related to novel treatments for cancer were another area of medical innovation where we noted some Merck activity in recent months. Formulas for treating cancer by preventing the overexpression of genetic agents used for cellular expression processes are explained within U.S. Patent Application No. 20140234296, titled Stable Formulations of Antibodies to Human Programmed Death Receptor PD-1 and Related Treatments. The disclosed treatment provides antibodies to regulate the presence of PD-1; the overexpression of PD-1 is seen in tissues affected by a wide range of cancers, including renal, ovarian, colorectal and pancreatic cancer. This formula has a long shelf life, can be stably stored and transported and can be used in either high or low concentrations for various modes of dose administration. Methods for slowing the progression of cancer as well as other illnesses are described by U.S. Patent Application No. 20140228348, which is titled Cyanomethylpyrazole Carboxamides as Janus Kinase Inhibitors. The compound that would be protected by this patent application could treat a spectrum of diseases by inhibiting enzymes known as Janus kinases for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma or autoimmune conditions. Janus kinase is involved in several physiological functions, including gene transcription, and mutations in Janus kinase have been associated with human disease.

From U.S. Patent Application No. 20140244289, entitled “Cold Storage System for Storage Pharmaceutical Product Containers.”

We’ve mainly featured pharmaceutical compounds invented by the medical research companies recently covered in our Companies We Follow series. We were intrigued by one Merck patent filing which would protect innovative improvements to a system for protecting sensitive pharmaceutical compounds during storage. U.S. Patent Application No. 20140244289, entitled Cold Storage System for Storage Pharmaceutical Product Containers, would protect an intelligent storage system which could convey important information about the pharmaceutical products stored by the system to physicians and healthcare professionals. This cold storage system includes an output device which can provide warnings regarding whether a pharmaceutical product in storage is likely spoiled, recalled or counterfeit. The system also includes a power fail circuit and means of providing emergency energy for operation during power outages.

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