Singapore: pSivida, which is into developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases, has received US patent for a new inserter developed to facilitate administration of micro-drug delivery devices.

"We are very pleased with the issuance of this US patent for our new inserter," said Dr Paul Ashton, president and CEO of pSivida. "We have designed it to allow the insertion of drug delivery devices, such as our Medidur implant, through a far smaller needle than was previously possible and to require significantly less force to administer. We anticipate using this new inserter in the planned Phase III trials of our posterior uveitis insert."

"Another advantage," Dr Ashton continued, "is that the new inserter allows for use of larger reservoir delivery devices. Thus our Durasert technology can now be used with a larger number of drugs."

pSivida has an intellectual property portfolio with more than 100 granted patents in the US, Europe, Japan, China and Australia.