Benzinga | Jun 23, 2021 10:01AM EDT

AIkido Pharma Files Patent Application For Use Of Ketamine To Treat Alzheimer's Disease

AIkido Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ:AIKI) ("AIkido" or the "Company") today announced that the Company has filed a provisional patent application for the use of ketamine and peptides to treat Alzheimer's disease. The Company previously secured and announced the acquisition of patent rights for use of peptides as a drug delivery system. This patent application seeks patent protection for the use of ketamine and these peptides to treat Alzheimer's disease.

We believe that one of the biggest breakthroughs in the study of depression has been the observation that ketamine can reverse symptoms of depression within hours to days when given by intravenous infusion. Additionally, the study of this psychedelic in other fields of use is growing in popularity.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with the destruction of higher brain structures, such as those involved in memory and cognition. The disease leads to deficits in cognitive function and declines in memory, learning, language, and in the ability to perform intentional and purposeful movements. Alzheimer's disease is also accompanied by concomitant behavioral, emotional, interpersonal, and social deterioration. Clinical management and treatment of Alzheimer's remains largely inadequate. There is still an unmet need for effective methods to prevent and treat the disease. Targeted delivery of a drug, prodrug, or therapeutic agent to cells that cause a disease or are affected by a disease can improve treatment of the disease. There is a need for targeted delivery of drugs, prodrugs, or other therapeutic agents effective in treating Alzheimer's. This patent application is the next step in combining homing peptides with a well-known psychedelic drug to treat this disease.