SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent No. 8,999,367 as a continuation of patent No. 8,927,004 that significantly enhances the claims for the release of antimicrobial metal ions to prevent infection.
Paul Chirico, President and CEO of Silver Bullet Therapeutics stated, “We take a lot of pride in not only our medical solutions, but also the breadth of our growing IP portfolio. This uniquely allows us to protect the broad range of our antimicrobial devices from orthopedic screws, hip and knee prostheses and cardiac implantable defibrillators and pacemakers to venous access indwelling catheters, sutures, surgical mesh and even surgical masks.”
“We have known that silver ions, at literally micro-molar concentrations, are particularly effective at forming antimicrobial prophylactic barriers around medical devices,” said Houdin Dehnad, Ph.D., Silver Bullet Therapeutics Co-Founder and Vice-President of R&D, “the challenge has been how to create silver ions. Although our earlier patents include the use of a power source or battery to create the ions, it is not the best approach within a living biologic system. We developed a galvanic antimicrobial ion system that is not only biologically compatible, but also protected by our strong IP.”
Statistics back up the need for antimicrobial medical devices. It is estimated that in the U.S. alone, more than $9.8 billion is spent annually treating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are often associated with medical devices.
Recently, the Company received CE Mark approval for the commercial sale of its antimicrobial OrthoFuzIon Bone Screw System, indicated for orthopedic reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) procedures in the European Union.
About Silver Bullet Therapeutics
Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held company located in San Jose, CA, has developed and patented antimicrobial implants and medical devices to address surgical-site and hospital-acquired infections. The company’s first commercial product, the OrthoFuzIon Bone Screw System, utilizes an advanced silver ion technology that allows for rapid ionization of the silver and creation of an antimicrobial zone around the screw to prevent microbial colonization of the implanted devices. OrthoFuzIon is a Trademark of Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc. and is not yet approved for sale in the United States.