The Akkermansia Company pioneers probiotic obesity treatment with US patent win

06 Dec 2023 --- Pro- and postbiotics producer The Akkermansia Company has secured its place in the weight management nutraceutical space. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) declared the company’s inventors, Cani et al., as the first to file a patent application related to treating metabolic disorders, particularly obesity, through the oral administration of the probiotic Akkermansia.

“The Patent Office has, in effect, stated that the Cani inventors were the first to make the invention, something we were certain of before asking Cani to request the declaration of an interference,” says Michael Oredsson, chief executive officer of The Akkermansia Company. 

In conjunction with this patent victory, The Akkermansia Company is progressing with the introduction of its postbiotic supplement into the US healthcare channel. The company initiated the rollout with the launch of its product Healthy Weight with Glucose Control, a dietary supplement aimed at weight management and healthy glucose metabolism.

The company will roll out its Healthy Weight with Glucose Control supplement for weight management and metabolism.Patent controversy
The Akkermansia Company states that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s assessment focused on the earliest patent applications for treating a metabolic disorder with the oral administration of Akkermansia, submitted by the company and its competitor, Pendulum Therapeutics. 

According to the company, Cani disclosed the invention in an application filed in November 2012, prior to Kaplan et al. — the inventors of applications licensed to Pendulum Therapeutics. The USPTO has affirmed that the Cani inventors were the first to conceive and file the invention.

The reclassification of positions, designating Cani as the Senior Party and Kaplan as the Junior Party, sets the stage for upcoming challenges to the current ruling. 

Counter-attack 
Oredsson outlines the criteria for Kaplan to challenge this decision, stating that Kaplan must demonstrate they made the invention before Cani. The USPTO has scheduled Kaplan to present evidence of prior invention by January 12, 2024.

“While the upcoming second stage of the interference will allow Kaplan to present its priority case, we are confident that the decision that the Cani inventors were first will be confirmed in the final decision,” he continues. 

Earlier this year, IFF began scaled production of solutions, including the newly discovered, proprietary, gram-negative Akkermansia probiotic species. The company pointed to the anaerobic probiotic strain as having the potential to improve immunity, insulin sensitivity and gut barrier function.

Meanwhile, the race to develop incretin-based weight loss and diabetes treatments further intensifies as Roche acquired Carmot Therapeutics’ R&D portfolio for US$2.7 billion.

Industry giant Nestlé is also rushing to develop complementary products to the increasingly sought-after obesity and diabetes medication.

By Milana Nikolova