Australian biopharma development company BioDiem (BDM) has been awarded patents covering its antimicrobial compound, BDM-I, in the US and China. BDM-I is a novel anti-infective compound directed against a range of diseases caused by micro-organisms including bacteria and fungi. The issued patents (US Patent Number 7,825,145 and Chinese Patent Number ZL02812171.6), entitled ‘Antimicrobial and radioprotective compounds’ are valid until 2022. BioDiem will file divisional patent applications in the US, to extend the patent claims coverage into further disease indications. BDM-I has shown promising results indicating a broad spectrum of activity against a range of pathogenic micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Despite the wide availability of antibiotics, control of some life-threatening infections remains difficult, and pathogenic microorganisms, most notably Staphylococcus aureus (Golden staph), are developing resistance to current treatments. It is anticipated that the initial development of BDM-I will be for clinical infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and invasive fungal disease. These targets both represent significant markets with the market for antifungals estimated to reach $11.3 billion in 2014; and the market for MRSA estimated to reach $752 million in 2019. BioDiem is seeking interested partners to co-develop BDM-I further for these conditions and other serious infectious diseases. BioDiem’s CEO, Ms Julie Phillips, said “The grant of a US Patent is an important milestone for a biotech company and we are also very pleased to have BDM-I’s patent granted in such a growing market as China. This is another step in securing BioDiem’s intellectual property and extends coverage for BDM-I in key target markets.”