WALTHAM, Mass.—EyeGate Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:EYEG) reported this week that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company a patent covering the utility of its iontophoretic contact lens. EyeGate is a clinical-stage, specialty pharmaceutical company with two proprietary platform technologies for treating diseases and disorders of the eye. The U.S. patent, entitled “Iontophoretic Contact Lens,” was issued on April 10, according to an EyeGate announcement. EyeGate said this is the first issued patent covering the iontophoretic contact lens, and it relates to a multi-layer contact lens for ocular therapy. (Iontophoresis is defined as the introduction of an ionized substance, such as a drug, through intact skin by the application of a direct electric current.) The lens is composed of a reservoir adapted to contain an electrically-charged therapeutic compound and an electrode providing iontophoretic current to the charged compound to propel it into the ocular tissue. The iontophoretic contact lens provides an easy, potentially improved technique for delivery of therapeutics to the retina, according to the EyeGate announcement. “The issuance of this new patent represents a significant milestone in the development of our proprietary iontophoretic contact lens,” EyeGate president and chief executive officer Stephen From said in the announcement. “We believe that this technology, which could enable at-home administration of iontophoretic drugs, has the potential to significantly influence the future of ocular drug delivery by eliminating the need for intravitreal injections and reducing the number of doctor visits. We believe that the iontophoretic contact lens is particularly well-suited for the treatment of chronic retinal conditions, and have selected macular edema, which we believe is a large and underserved market, as our initial target indication.”