194Macular Degeneration

within a digestible capsule, comparable to a conventional capsule containing Vitamin E. It can also be prepared in a microencapsulated granular formulation, and/or in a tablet form with an enteric coating. Alternately, a zeaxanthin fluid can be added to various types of foods, such as margarine, dairy products, syrup, cookie dough, and meat preparations that are not subjected to harsh cooking. Such processing can be used to create formulations such as ingestible tablets, and particulate formulations that can be added to soups, salads, drinks, or other foods. Preferred stabilizers and anti-oxidants are also disclosed. When consumed by humans in any of these modes, the R-R isomer of zeaxanthin can help treat and prevent macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss, especially among the elderly.

Excerpt(s): This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/699,985, filed on Oct. 27, 2000, which requested reissuance of U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,652, which arose from application Ser. No. 08/551,153, filed on Oct. 31, 1995. This invention is in the field of pharmacology, and relates to human use of a yellow pigment called zeaxanthin (ZX) in preventing or treating macular degeneration, a disease which damages retinal tissue and causes blindness. A related U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,015 ("Method of Making Pure 3R-3'R Stereoisomer of Zeaxanthin for Human Ingestion", assigned to the same assignee herein) contains a fairly extensive discussion of retinal physiology and carotenoid chemistry. The contents of that patent are incorporated herein by reference. Although that Background information will not be repeated herein in its entirety, a brief overview is provided in the next paragraphs, to help introduce and explain this invention.

Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html

Keeping Current

In order to stay informed about patents and patent applications dealing with macular degeneration, you can access the U.S. Patent Office archive via the Internet at the following Web address: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. You will see two broad options: (1) Issued Patent, and (2) Published Applications. To see a list of issued patents, perform the following steps: Under “Issued Patents,” click “Quick Search.” Then, type “macular degeneration” (or synonyms) into the “Term 1” box. After clicking on the search button, scroll down to see the various patents which have been granted to date on macular degeneration.

You can also use this procedure to view pending patent applications concerning macular degeneration. Simply go back to http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. Select “Quick Search” under “Published Applications.” Then proceed with the steps listed above.