This company is also investigating the same things and not by coincidence at USC Keck where Pfizer is as well. This is in reference to the Pfizer patent that still has about 5 years remaining and includes not just the compound the method of synthesization, stabilizing into the acid form.
AB-FUBINACA, which was first patented by the pharmaceutical company in early 2009, was found in a synthetic cannabinoid involved in the July 12 incident, according to a New England Journal of Medicine article published this week.
Pfizer confirmed to MarketWatch that the company never moved forward with AB-FUBINACA. But the public patent appears to have fueled its development in foreign labs, the New York Times reports.
“Years ago we investigated a class of compounds for potential therapeutic value in treating cancer pain and inflammatory pain. Our work in this area was confined to the lab, never tested in patients, and eventually discontinued,” a Pfizer spokesperson told MarketWatch.