Contrafect Corp., the NASDAQ-traded biotechnology company headquartered in Yonkers, has been granted a U.S. patent for its technology related to the nasally inhaled antibody 
drug the company is developing to treat influenza.
Contrafect officials said the patent covers the “novel methodology” used with the company”™s CF-404, a “therapeutic cocktail” composed of three fully human monoclonal antibodies that target both A and B strains of the influenza virus. The recently issued patent expires on March 14, 2034.
Contrafect has not yet submitted an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow testing of its influenza drug candidate on humans in clinical trials.
Contrafect Chairman and CEO Steven C. Gilman in the announcement said CF-404 “uses inhaled delivery of antibodies to target the influenza virus and has shown significant efficacy in animal models using lower doses of antibodies than intravenous delivery. Direct delivery to the respiratory tract helps solve a key challenge in using antibodies to treat influenza by allowing the use of much lower doses than would be required if delivered intravenously.”
