Plandai Biotechnology says Pfizer Viagra patent ruling will pave way for all-natural erectile dysfunction drug
Company has begun cultivating epimedium plants as part of plans to develop the new product
Plandai Biotechnology has begun cultivating and cloning the epimedium (horny goat weed) plants it recently acquired as part of its preliminary plans to develop and test what it anticipates will be an all-natural substitute for the erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.
The Seattle-based company is working with a strain of the epimedium plant that has high levels of icariin, which studies have shown may treat ED. Using its proprietary extraction process, Plandaí is confident that it can develop a genetically pure, high icariin content Phytofare extract for ED.
Epimedium was used in a patent infringement case to rescind parts of the US Viagra patent (Patent 6,469,012) based on historic use in Chinese medicine.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, claimed that its drug was the first medical example of a PDE5 inhibitor which treated ED, and claimed patent protection from all similar PDE5 inhibitors. Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, is the PDE5 inhibitor Pfizer claimed was the first example of the inhibitor to treat ED, but patent examiners used epimedium and its PDE5 inhibitor, icariin, as an example of prior use and rescinded those portions of the patent, Plandai says.
In common with its Phytofare Catechin Complex, derived from green tea, Plandai expects that its extraction process will enhance epimedium's absorption and retention in the bloodstream offering those suffering from ED with an all-natural substitute for other drugs sold by Big Pharma.
Assuming that this ED product would be effective and safe after conducting research, development and testing, Plandai expects to commence testing on the possible ED product by mid-2015. when enough genetically pure mature plants are available for testing.
