Firebrick Pharma Locks in NZ Patent to Shield Nasodine Formula Until 2041

New Zealand patent adds to Nasodine’s global IP wall

Firebrick Pharma (ASX: FRE) has been granted a pharmaceutical composition patent for its Nasodine Nasal Spray in New Zealand, adding another jurisdiction to the product’s expanding intellectual property portfolio. The patent, titled “Improved Virucidal Formulations” (NZ Patent Number 794684), expires in June 2041.

New Zealand joins Australia and South Africa as the third country where this patent has been formally granted. The composition patent is distinct from Firebrick’s existing intellectual property, which consists of method-of-use patents, and its grant in New Zealand extends the overall protective coverage of Nasodine’s patent family.

Pending patent applications for the same formulation are now filed across 10 additional jurisdictions:

• USA
• Europe
• Canada
• Brazil
• Israel
• Mexico
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Hong Kong

What this patent actually protects and why it matters

The science behind the composition claim

A composition patent and a method-of-use patent offer fundamentally different types of protection. A method-of-use patent covers how a product is used, such as for treating a specific condition, while a composition patent covers what the product actually is, protecting the formulation itself regardless of its intended application.

Firebrick’s existing Nasodine patents are method-of-use patents covering the use of intranasal povidone-iodine (PVP-I) for the common cold and pandemic viral diseases. The newly granted patent is different: it protects the proprietary Nasodine formulation directly.

The scientific basis for the patent rests on the formulation’s demonstrated performance. According to the patent, Nasodine “showed a markedly increased virucidal activity compared to other PVP-I formulations (concentrations between around 0.5% and 1.0%), at clinically-relevant exposure times of 2 and 5 minutes.” In practical terms, the formulation displays enhanced virucidal activity compared with PVP-I solutions alone, which forms the core of the invention claimed.

Secondary illnesses covered by the patent

Beyond the primary antiviral activity, the patent also claims the use of the formulation for the purpose of treating a viral infection, and more specifically for reducing mucous secretions, reducing the activity, viability or number of viruses, or reducing the time that virus is present, and thereby reducing the risk of viruses causing secondary illnesses. Specific secondary illnesses named in the patent include:

• Sinusitis
• Bronchitis
• Otitis media (middle ear infection)

This broadens the protective scope of Nasodine’s intellectual property beyond the core nasal spray indication, covering the formulation’s role in limiting downstream complications of viral infections.

A composition patent carries structural significance for investors. By protecting the formulation itself, it creates a barrier against competitors attempting to replicate the product under a different use-case claim, a form of protection that method-of-use patents alone cannot provide.

Dr Peter Molloy, Executive Chairman, Firebrick Pharma

“Once granted in all key markets, this will be an important additional patent to the Nasodine patent family, because it protects the pharmaceutical formulation of Nasodine, regardless of specific intended use. It also extends the Nasodine patent runway to 2041.”

Global patent strategy and the road ahead

Where Firebrick stands across key markets

The pending filings across nine additional jurisdictions reflect a deliberate effort to secure composition-level IP protection in the markets most relevant to Nasodine’s commercial rollout. One jurisdiction worth noting is the Philippines, where Firebrick is simultaneously pursuing regulatory marketing approval, meaning composition patent protection and commercial access are being pursued in parallel in that market.

Nasodine Nasal Spray has already been introduced in the USA, Singapore, and Fiji, and was recently approved for marketing in Indonesia. Nasodine Throat Spray is available in Singapore and Fiji as the first follow-on product in the range. The company has outlined plans for up to four products in the Nasodine range and expansion into up to 10 markets over three years.

The table below summarises the current patent and market status across key jurisdictions, based on information disclosed in the announcement.

What investors should watch next

The most significant near-term catalysts for the composition patent strategy are decisions in the USA and Europe, both of which represent high-value commercial and legal markets where a grant would substantially reinforce Nasodine’s IP position.

Parallel regulatory progress in the Philippines, where both a patent filing and marketing approval are being actively pursued, represents a further milestone to monitor. More broadly, any additional grant announcements across the nine pending jurisdictions would incrementally strengthen the formulation’s global protection ahead of Firebrick’s planned expansion to up to 10 markets over three years.

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