Dare Bioscience stock rises after receiving HPV treatment patent

September 28, 2026 10:12 AM EDT

Investing.com -- Dare Bioscience Inc (NASDAQ: DARE) shares rose 2.8% on Monday following the announcement that the company received a new U.S. patent for its HPV treatment program.

The patent, titled "Lopinavir and Ritonavir for the Treatment of Cervix Disorders," was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 14, 2026, to Douglas Pharmaceuticals Limited, a licensor to Dare Bioscience. The patent covers pharmaceutical compositions formulated for topical application comprising lopinavir and ritonavir for the treatment of HPV-related cervical pathologies and is expected to provide protection into at least 2039.

The patent expands the intellectual property foundation for DARE-HPV, the company's investigational proprietary fixed-dose formulation of lopinavir and ritonavir in a soft gel vaginal insert being developed as a potential treatment for persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection. Dare holds an exclusive U.S. license to the patent under its 2023 license agreement with Douglas Pharmaceuticals Limited.

DARE-HPV is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study in approximately 100 women with confirmed persistent high-risk HPV infection. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and antiviral activity of lower and higher doses of DARE-HPV compared with placebo over an up to 21-day course of daily treatment, with HPV clearance at three months post-treatment as the primary endpoint. Topline results are expected in 2027.

The program is supported by approximately $10 million in non-dilutive funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health as Sprint for Women's Health awardee, and a $2.0 million award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacologic treatments for HPV infection. An estimated six million women per year in the United States experience high-risk HPV infection.

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