Appili Therapeutics Inc. announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has issued a Notice of Allowance of new patent claims for ATI-1501, Appili's liquid oral reformulation of the antibiotic metronidazole. A notice of allowance is issued by the USPTO to indicate that the application has passed the examination. Metronidazole is a widely used frontline oral treatment with over 10 million prescriptions written in the United States every year to help treat parasitic and anaerobic bacterial infections.

The current tablet form of metronidazole is the only approved oral form on the U.S. market, but its bitter taste and lack of appropriate dosage forms for patients with difficulty swallowing often presents treatment compliance challenges. Appili and their partner Saptalis Pharmaceuticals LLC (“Saptalis”) expect ATI-1501 to be approved by the FDA by the end of 2023.