Florida-based biopharmaceutical company Oragenics, Inc. announced that it received US patent protection for the next generation of SMaRT Replacement Therapy (SMaRT) including patent protection for live biotherapeutic compositions and methods for reducing the incidence of dental caries.
Specifically, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent No. 9,260,488 titled “Replacement Therapy for Dental Caries”, which provides Oragenics with 17 years of patent protection for SMaRT for use in the prevention of tooth decay. The issued claims further protect several SMaRT pharmaceutical compositions and other delivery forms, including mouthwash, toothpaste, chewing gum, floss, chewable tablet, food, and beverage formulations.
“The SMaRT Replacement Therapy was designed to be a painless, one-time, five-minute topical treatment applied to the teeth that has the potential to offer lifelong protection against tooth decay,” stated Dr. Jeffrey D. Hillman, a co-inventor of this new SMaRT Technology, a co-Founder of Oragenics and retired Chief Science Officer of Oragenics. Dr. Hillman further commented: “I am thrilled that the improvements that we engineered in the SMaRT Therapy will afford Oragenics additional intellectual property, which could enable us to attempt to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of this novel therapy in the clinic.” Dr. Frederick Telling, Oragenics’ Chairman, said, “Dr. Hillman’s pioneering work continues to provide potentially new opportunities for improved healthcare and significant patient benefits.”