Lpath Inc. yesterday announced it has received official notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) that the company has been issued two key patents related to ASONEP™, one of the Lpath’s two lead drug candidates.
ASONEP is a therapeutic antibody developed by Lpath’s ImmuneY2™ drug-discovery engine. The antibody is designed to target bioactive signaling lipids that are associated with the proliferation and spread of cancer and other diseases.
“By issuing these patents, the USPTO and EPO have further validated the novelty and utility of Lpath’s use of S1P-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple and diverse diseases,” Dr. Laurel Bernstein, executive director of intellectual property for Lpath stated in the press release.
Lpath recently completed two early-stage clinical trials: iSONEP was evaluated in a phase I trial in wet-AMD subjects; ASONEP was evaluated in a phase I trial in cancer subjects. Lpath now plans on conducting two iSONEP phase II trials, one in patients with RPE Detachment (PED), for which the company says there is no approved treatment, and another in wet-AMD patients without PED.
Lpath last year entered into an agreement with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) in which Pfizer has exclusive worldwide license rights to develop and commercialize iSONEP.
“Lpath now has patent protection not only on our drug candidates, iSONEP and ASONEP, but also on the methods of use in the treatment of several ocular diseases, as well as cancer, cardiac, autoimmune, and inflammatory disorders. The strength of Lpath’s patent portfolio is key to the successful commercialization of both iSONEP and ASONEP,” Roger Sabbadini, Lpath’s chief scientific officer and main inventor of the issued patents stated.
For more information visit www.Lpath.com
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