The patent entitled, ‘Drug Delivery’, covers a method and apparatus for the treatment of tissue adjacent to a bodily conduit by thermocompression and drug-encapsulated within a heat-sensitive carrier, such as a liposome, within a region of the tissue to be treated.

The Prolieve Thermodilatation System is currently used for the treatment of enlarged prostate, or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), according to the company.

Medifocus chief executive officer Augustine Cheung said the new patent expands the potential use of the Prolieve Thermodilatation System to treat prostate cancer, as well as other cancers.

"Now, the opportunity, subject to regulatory approval, to utilize our existing Prolieve technology as a means of drug delivery for prostate cancer significantly expands the technology’s market potential," Cheung added.