Pulmatrix Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, said Tuesday it had received a patent for its drug PUR0200, which is designed to treated  chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

“This new patent is another step forward to bringing PUR0200 to market — and to be able to offer new benefits to patients suffering from COPD,” said Robert W. Clarke, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer for Pulmatrix.

The product will now be protected as intellectual property until 2033, he said. It followed earlier patents in Japan and other broader patents around Pulmatrix technology.

But the new patent is specific for PUR0200, an inhaled drug. Currently, many inhaled products get stuck in a patient’s mouth or throat, the company said, making delivery inefficient to the lungs. Pulmatrix has created a dry powder that “flies” more easily into the lungs, it said. In clinical trials, it said PUR 0200 was five times more efficient at delivering the drug to the lungs.

It is being developed in Europe and the United States.