They could be for the drug already announced for treating Phelan...

They could be for the drug already announced for treating Phelan McDermid Syndrome. However, there is always a chance that they might be for a new drug.

It’s difficult to know whether these applications relate to Phelan McDermid or to something new.

PYC had previously filed (between May and October last year) four separate Australian provisional patent applications, all titled Compositions and Methods for Treatment of Monogenic Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

A provisional patent application acts like a place holder and after 12 months, you have to decide whether to proceed with a standard or international patent application or just let the application lapse. No details of the patent are published while it’s provisional.

The first of these four provisional patent applications filed last year has since been withdrawn, the next two have lapsed and the last one is still listed although that may be due to a lag between the lapsing of the patent and noting of the fact on the AusPat website.

These new provisional patent applications differ slightly in their title, Improved compositions and methods for treatment of monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders, making me think that they may still relate to Phelan McDermid.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!