NRx Pharmaceuticals has now added a patent application to its paperwork for the COVID-19 therapy drug Zyesami,  writes John George for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Earlier this week, the Radnor biopharmaceutical company applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use of Zyesami to treat patients with critical COVID-19 and respiratory failure.

The hope is to find commercial possibilities for Zyesami by having the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approve a provisional composition of matter patent.

Zyesami contains aviptadil, a synthetic form of a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) that could be used in medical treatments beyond COVID.

Aviptadil is shelf-stable and biologically active when used to treat COVID-19 and other diseases.

The company reported there were no filed patents protecting the manufacture of Zyesami. With the patent NRx CEO Dr. Jonathan Javitt said the company believes it has a “path to a long-term commercial life” for VIP use as an innovative drug.

“Although for obvious reasons, our initial focus has been the use of VIP in lung disease caused by COVID-19, we are now considering potential use of Zyesami in non-Covid-related lung disease, liver disease, eye disease, and organ transplantation,” said NRx CEO Dr. Jonathan Javitt.

Read more at Philadelphia Business Journal about the patent application from NRx.