NFL Biosciences files a patent that could protect NFL-102 until 2047
Announced on November 13, 2026, this filing aims to strengthen the protection of the drug candidate against tobacco dependence and to extend it to new therapeutic applications.
According to the company, a patent granted on the basis of this application could protect NFL-102 until 2047, excluding possible regulatory extensions.
Extended protection for other therapeutic uses of NFL-102
The new application covers therapeutic applications involving neurotransmitters that are also implicated in tobacco and nicotine dependence. It enriches the patent family dedicated to NFL-102, which the company is developing up to proof of clinical concept with the TONIC study.
NFL Biosciences specifies that the scope of the protection sought in its most recent patent applications remains subject to review by the competent patent offices. The drug candidate, derived from standardized extracts of tobacco leaves, is designed to be administered as two subcutaneous injections one week apart.
Five patent families to support future partnerships
The company's intellectual property portfolio is structured around five families, comprising granted patents and applications under examination. The two most recent, dated 2026, cover the specific compositions of NFL-102 as well as the use of a predictive biomarker to identify patients likely to respond to immunotherapies based on tobacco leaf extract.
The other three cover pretreatment (2023), specific constituents of tobacco leaves (2016), and tobacco leaf extracts (2006). According to the company, this strategy aims to “protect NFL Biosciences’ drug candidates, their methods of use and patient selection, while supporting future partnership opportunities”.
The partnership stakes concern in particular NFL-101, the company’s other drug candidate, developed using a personalized medicine approach based on a biomarker and intended to be the subject of a licensing agreement for phase 3.
