With regard to postoperative improvement of bowel function, we expect to face competition in thepharmacological therapy space from alvimopan, marketed as a branded product, ENTEREG®, by Merck, as well as in generic form. Alvimopan is currently the only approved therapeutic indicated toaccelerate return for bowel function. However, the alvimopan label is restricted to those surgeries that include partial bowel resection with primary anastomosis. Other companies are currently developing, and may in the future develop, productcandidates for postoperative improvement of bowel function that could pose future competition if approved for sale in overlapping territories.
Withregard to the reduction or elimination of postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions, to our knowledge, there are no approved therapeutics for treating or preventing postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. The only potential oral therapeutic inclinical development we are aware of is TTX 333 Evitar being developed by Temple Therapeutics based in the Netherlands. However, we face general competition from other medical interventionsfor adhesions, namely surgical procedures and adhesion barrier products. Adhesion barrier products approved for abdominal or pelvic surgery in the United States consist of SEPRAFILM,INTERCEED®, and ADEPT®. In addition, several products are used off-label for adhesionprevention in the United States, including EVICEL®, SURGIWRAP®, COSEAL, andPRECLUDE. Adhesion barrier products available outside the United States include HYALOBARRIER®, SPRAYSHIELD, PREVADH, and INTERCOAT. Such products are used as adjunctive, have variableefficacy, and are not easily used with laparoscopic procedures, which are becoming increasingly common.
Intellectual Property
Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to (i) obtain and maintain proprietary protection to protect our current and future productcandidates, novel discoveries, product development technologies, improvements, and know-how; (ii) preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets and confidential information; (iii) maintain our co-development agreements and licenses for exclusive commercial rights to intellectual property, including patent rights co-owned with third parties; (iv) defend andenforce our proprietary rights, including our patents; and (v) operate without infringing valid and enforceable patents and other proprietary rights of third parties.
LB1148 Patent Portfolio
Currently, we solely own (or co-own with exclusive commercial rights) four patent families with claims directed to compositions covering components of LB1148, including the protease inhibitor tranexamic acid, or their therapeutic uses anddosing regimens:
The First Family is directed to compositions comprising four components of LB1148 and their therapeutic use in treating shock and otherindications. As of March 9, 2022, this patent family includes a recent patent in Europe (EP 3122349) that granted on December 22, 2021, three granted patents in the United States (including a recent grant, US 11,123,317, onSeptember 21, 2021), two granted patents in Taiwan, granted patents in Australia, India, Japan, and Mexico, and pending applications in Canada, Korea, and the U.S., all of which we solely own. In addition, this family includes a granted patentin China that we previously assigned to Newsoara to support our co-development agreement with Newsoara, as discussed below. The expected expiration date of the issued patents (or any patents that may issuefrom pending applications) is 2035, excluding any adjustments or extensions of patent term that may be available.
The Second Family, which we jointly ownwith the University of California, is directed to compositions comprising three (or fewer) components of LB1148 and their therapeutic use in treating shock and other indications. Under our 2015 License with the University of California (as discussedin the section entitled License Agreements and Collaborations), we have exclusive commercial rights to this family. As of March 17, 2022, this patent family includes three granted patents in the U.S., granted patents in China,Canada, and Korea,