Solvonis Wins Ketamine Patent for Addiction Use
The US Patent and Trademark Office allowed claims covering ketamine at dissociative doses for behavioural addictions.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Substance Abuse
The US Patent and Trademark Office has allowed claims by Solvonis Therapeutics PLC covering the use of ketamine at dissociative doses of at least 50 mg, given by any route and with or without psychotherapy, for behavioural addictions. Solvonis will target binge eating disorder and gambling disorder first.
Why it matters
Professor David Nutt said addiction traps people in patterns they struggle to break and ketamine may open a window to change those patterns. Solvonis builds on its work in alcohol addiction to investigate binge eating and gambling.
The allowed claims cover dissociative doses of at least 50 mg, given by any route and with or without psychotherapy. Whether these uses will prove effective for binge eating or gambling disorder has not yet been established by clinical trials.
The players
Solvonis Therapeutics PLC
A company listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker SVNS and OTC under SLVNF, which holds the ketamine addiction claims.
Professor David Nutt
A prominent British neuropsychopharmacologist who commented on the potential of ketamine to help people change entrenched addictive patterns.
The details
The claims cover racemic ketamine, esketamine and arketamine, and apply to use with or without psychotherapy. Solvonis is also co-funding a Phase 3 trial in alcohol addiction, and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse funds a separate compound for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction.
Timeline
Solvonis announced its binge eating and gambling targeting after the claim allowance on November 5, 2026.
The US patent office is expected to grant the patent in the first quarter of 2027, subject to final formalities.
Patent protections are expected to run until 2042.
Big Picture
The allowance extends Solvonis's alcohol addiction programme into binge eating and gambling disorders. It follows the broader movement of drug developers seeking patent protection for repurposed compounds in addiction treatment.
Any future ketamine-based addiction treatment would depend on clinical trials and regulatory approval before reaching patients. Readers seeking treatment for addiction should consult a licensed clinician about currently available options.
The takeaway
Patent protection signals commercial interest in repurposing ketamine for addiction, but clinical evidence will determine whether these uses reach patients.
What happens next
Solvonis expects the US patent office to grant the patent in the first quarter of 2027, subject to final formalities.
Further reading
Explore more on Substance Abuse to see how addiction treatments are being developed.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Proactiveinvestors NA.
