Vivus Pharmaceuticals, who are developing the experimental slimming drug Qnexa, have announced that they have been issued with three new patents for the drug.

The three new patents now mean that the firm has 4 patents for the medication, which is being developed as an investigational new candidate for the treatment of obesity. One provides the company with protection over broad composition of matter, while another provides expanded protection over how Qnexa is used with overweight patients.

The final patent is regarding the dosage of the medication, the formulations for controlled released and how other conditions, such as sleep apnoea, can be treated with the drug.

Clinical trials have shown that as well as treating obesity, Qnexa could also be used to help sufferers of sleep apnoea, a frustrating condition where the nasal passages narrow during sleep, causing sufferers to wake up regularly with a snore. As well as being irritating, it can cause high blood pressure and other health problems.

The president of Vivus, Peter Tam, said that by having the patents granted, the intellectual propretty coverage afforded to Qnexa was considerably expanded and added that they believed the grandint of the patents indicated that the Patents Office recognised the unique aspects of the treatment.

The patents mean that should Qnexa be approved by the regulators, it will be protected until 2020.