Apr 05, 2012 - Echo Therapeutics - New Patent for Glucose-Monitoring

Echo Therapeutics Announces Patents for Glucose-Monitoring, SkinPrep Systems

PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Echo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECTE), a company developing its needle-free Symphony® tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring system and its Prelude® SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, announced the issuance of patents covering its Prelude SkinPrep System and a notice of allowance for a U.S. patent covering its Symphony tCGM System.

Patents entitled "Skin Permeation Device for Analyte Sensing or Transdermal Drug Delivery" issued to Echo Therapeutics in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Russia, and 34 European countries. The patents include claims that encompass the Prelude SkinPrep System, which prepares the skin in a controlled, dermabrasive manner to permit either drug delivery or analyte extraction. These patents will expire in 2028.

Additionally, Echo Therapeutics received a notice of allowance for U.S. Patent Application No. 11/223,971, entitled "System and Method for Analyte Sampling and Analysis with Hydrogel". The claims in this application cover certain aspects of the biosensor in the Symphony tCGM System. The patent, when issued, is expected to expire in 2026.

"The issuance of these patents further broadens Echo's already extensive intellectual property portfolio surrounding Prelude and Symphony and represents a valuable asset for Echo," stated Patrick Mooney, M.D., Echo's Chairman and CEO. "Furthermore, we expect additional US and foreign patents to issue this year that will provide our products with long-term market value and will add significantly to our shareholder value."

Echo currently has 6 U.S. patents and over 60 foreign patents. Additionally, over 30 patent applications by Echo are pending in the U.S. and foreign countries.