New US patent protects IV and injectable versions of nicotinamide riboside, strengthening company’s position in growing NAD+ market.
The race to commercialize longevity science is increasingly about more than discoveries in the lab; it is also about who controls the intellectual property behind them.
Just recently, Los Angeles-based global leader in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) science, Niagen Bioscience, has secured a new US patent covering intravenous and injectable formulations of its flagship molecule, nicotinamide riboside (NR), marketed as Niagen. The newly granted US Patent No. 12,558,367 expands the company’s intellectual property portfolio and protects the manner in which NR can be delivered via injections and IV infusions [1].
For a sector where NAD+ boosters are quickly becoming a staple in clinics and wellness centers, the move reinforces Niagen Bioscience’s attempt to maintain a strong competitive moat.
“This patent expands our intellectual property for our patented NR ingredient, Niagen, into IV and injectable delivery formats,” said Rob Fried, CEO of Niagen Bioscience. “With expected protection through 2044, it supports Niagen’s exclusivity in delivering a superior IV and injectable product with significantly faster delivery and improved comfort for patients across our expanding US clinic footprint.”
At the center of this development is NAD+ (short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a molecule found in every cell of the body. It plays a crucial role in how cells generate energy and repair themselves.
However, NAD+ levels decline as we age and as our bodies deal with everyday stressors. Many scientists believe this gradual drop contributes to the cellular wear and tear associated with aging.
That is where molecules like nicotinamide riboside (NR) come in. NR acts as a precursor, meaning it helps the body produce more NAD+. Over the past decade, the compound has become one of the most studied ways to boost NAD+ levels, particularly in the emerging longevity industry.
Niagen Bioscience has positioned itself as a major player in that field, building a patent portfolio of more than 100 patents related to NAD+ precursors and their applications.
While NAD+ boosters first gained popularity through oral supplements, the market is increasingly exploring clinical delivery methods such as IV drips and injections. These formats are designed to deliver compounds directly into the bloodstream, bypassing digestion and potentially raising NAD+ levels more quickly.
Niagen Bioscience says its next-generation intravenous formulation, developed under its Niagen Plus portfolio, aims to improve on traditional NAD+ IV therapies. The company claims the aqueous-based formulation allows for faster infusions while avoiding some of the discomfort commonly associated with NAD+ IV treatments. That means shorter infusion times and potentially a smoother experience for patients receiving the therapy.
The newly issued patent covers several aspects of these delivery systems, including formulation approaches, administration methods and the use of specific NR variants. For a growing market of longevity clinics offering NAD+ therapies, such protection could shape how products are developed and distributed in the coming years.
Niagen IV is already available in more than 1,200 healthcare, wellness and longevity clinics across the United States, reflecting how rapidly NAD+-focused treatments are entering mainstream longevity services.
These clinics represent a new front line for longevity science. Instead of existing purely in research settings, interventions aimed at improving cellular health are now being offered directly to patients seeking better energy, resilience and long-term health.
In that context, patents like this one do more than protect a formula; they influence the infrastructure of the longevity industry itself.
Control over delivery formats can determine who manufactures treatments, which clinics can offer them and how quickly innovations move from laboratory discovery to real-world use.
Longevity’s next commercial phase
As investors pour funding into aging science – from biotech startups to longevity clinics – the ability to protect underlying technologies is becoming increasingly valuable. Molecules like nicotinamide riboside sit at the center of that ecosystem, linking basic biology, consumer supplements and clinical therapies.
Niagen Bioscience’s latest patent suggests the company is betting heavily on the clinical future of NAD+ therapies, particularly those delivered through medical settings rather than over-the-counter products.
If that bet pays off, the next chapter of longevity medicine may look less like a supplement aisle and more like a doctor’s office, where cellular health treatments are administered alongside traditional healthcare.
In the long run, the real question for the field is not just who owns the patents, but whether these technologies meaningfully extend the healthy years of life. For companies building the infrastructure of longevity medicine today, that is the promise and the test that lies ahead.
