OncoZenge AB (publ) (“OncoZenge” or “the Company”) today announces the filing of a new medical use patent application with the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV), aimed at broadening intellectual property protection for BupiZenge™ into dental and oral medical use. The filing marks a strategic step in safeguarding the potential of BupiZenge™ beyond its lead indication in oral mucositis and into the wider oral pain market.
Strategy
As OncoZenge advances toward commercialization of BupiZenge™ in oral mucositis, the Company continuously evaluates opportunities for complementary patents that protect the current formulation, support future product and label expansions, and maximize the commercial potential of BupiZenge™. Following a thorough review together with intellectual property and dental experts, OncoZenge has filed a new application focused specifically on medical use for dental and oral pain relief.
Background
BupiZenge™ is currently in development for the treatment of pain associated with oral mucositis in cancer supportive care, with the Company's pivotal Phase III trial ongoing in Europe. Beyond this lead indication, OncoZenge sees an opportunity to apply BupiZenge's™ local delivery of bupivacaine — a well-established anesthetic — to other areas where effective local oral pain relief is needed.
Pre- and post-procedure oral pain relief, such as in dentistry, represents a particularly relevant expansion opportunity. Bupivacaine has a long history of use as a local anesthetic in dental procedures, while BupiZenge™ offers a differentiated, lozenge-based format designed to provide convenient and sustained local delivery in the mouth.
The patent application
The priority-establishing application was filed with the PRV on 10 September 2026. In line with OncoZenge's international IP strategy, the Company intends to file an international application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) claiming priority from this filing within twelve months. Any such PCT application may subsequently be taken into national and regional phases in accordance with PCT timelines, in order to support protection in key markets for OncoZenge and its future licensing partners.
If successfully prosecuted and granted, the new patent would extend BupiZenge's™ intellectual property protection beyond oral mucositis, and would provide coverage until 2047. Such protection could represent an additional value driver for OncoZenge and future commercial partners in dental and broader oral pain indications.
“With this filing, we strengthen the international patent protection for BupiZenge™. Dental and oral medical use is an area of significant unmet need where BupiZenge™ is well positioned, and having secured the priority date, we're now focused on protecting this asset across key global markets through the PCT process,” says Marie Mannerlöf, PhD, Patent Attorney, CEO of Imariel AB and Head of Intellectual Property at OncoZenge.
“As we advance our Phase III trial for BupiZenge™ toward market approval for pain management in cancer supportive care, we're pleased to take this next step. This filing lays the groundwork for long-term IP coverage that can support future label expansion and unlock meaningful commercial potential in the dental space,” says Stian Kildal, CEO of OncoZenge.