HAMILTON, BM — February 13, 2026 — Leads & Copy —
Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. (OTCID:CYTOF) announced that its associate company Altamira Medica received a notice of allowance from the Japan Patent Office for Medica’s patent application covering its Bentrio® nasal spray.
Bentrio is a drug-free, preservative-free medical device that helps protect the nasal mucosa against harmful airborne particles. It has already been approved or cleared in several countries for the prophylaxis and treatment of allergic rhinitis.
Thomas Meyer, Altamira Medica’s Chairman and CEO, said the company is pleased to obtain patent coverage on Bentrio in Japan, a country with some of the highest reported prevalences of allergic rhinitis worldwide.
Epidemiological studies indicate about 50% of the Japanese population suffers from allergic rhinitis, with Japanese cedar pollinosis, cypress pollen, and house dust mites being highly prevalent. Clinical data has demonstrated Bentrio safely and effectively helps protect against airborne allergens such as pollen and house dust mites, based on its triple mode of protection, including a physical barrier on the nasal mucosa, the trapping of harmful particles, and the moisturization of the mucosa, according to Meyer.
Bentrio is an over-the-counter nasal spray for personal protection against airborne allergens and, where approved, against airborne viruses. When applied in the nose, Bentrio forms a protective gel layer on the nasal mucosa. The thin film is designed to prevent the contact of airborne particles with cells; in addition, the composition binds such particles and helps with their discharge.
The efficacy and safety of Bentrio have been demonstrated in four clinical trials, the largest of which was the NASAR study which enrolled 100 patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis. Participants self-administered either Bentrio or saline nasal spray for two weeks 3 times per day.
The study showed a statistically significant reduction in the mean daily reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS) for Bentrio compared to saline (p = 0.013), as well as a statistically highly significant improvement in health-related quality of life (Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, p < 0.001) and superior global ratings of efficacy by patients and investigators alike (p < 0.001).
In addition, Bentrio showed good safety and tolerability, similar to saline controls, and fewer Bentrio treated patients used relief medication and more of them enjoyed symptom-free days compared to saline treatment.
Altamira Therapeutics is developing and supplying peptide-based nanoparticle technologies for efficient nucleic acid delivery (xPhore™ platform). The delivery platform is suited for different nucleic acid modalities, including siRNA, mRNA, circRNA, as well as DNA, and made available to pharma or biotech companies through out-licensing.
The Company has two proprietary flagship programs based on xPhore and siRNA payloads: AM-401 for KRAS driven cancer and AM-411 for rheumatoid arthritis, both in preclinical development beyond in vivo proof of concept. In addition, Altamira holds a 49% stake in Altamira Medica AG, which commercializes Bentrio, an OTC nasal spray for allergic rhinitis, and owns several assets for CNS indications which it intends to partner / divest.
Founded in 2003, Altamira is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with its main operations in Basel, Switzerland.
Source: Altamira Therapeutics
