Australian Anti-Cancer Drug Company Granted Important New Patent
Australian monoclonal antibody company, Immune System Therapeutics Limited (IST), has announced that it had secured patent protection in Australia for a new method of treating blood cancers that express a target called lambda myeloma antigen (LMA), which was discovered by IST research scientists.
This patent is a significant addition to IST’s growing platform of new treatments for cancer and other diseases.
The patent titled 'Target for B-cell disorders' covers the treatment of a broad range of blood cancers, involving the administration of antibodies that bind to LMA to prevent the growth of, or kill, the cancer cells found in B cell lymphoproliferative diseases.
IST is currently developing its second antibody candidate, IST-1458, for the treatment of blood cancers that display the LMA target.
The patent provides protection for the company’s platform technology until the year 2025.
Immune System Therapeutics' Chief Executive Officer, Alan Liddle, said, “The granting of this patent confers further certainty and significantly increases the commercial value of IST’s promising new antibody platform for the treatment of a range of common human diseases.
“IST’s growing patent portfolio is a major commercial asset that will help ensure long-term exclusive licensing rights and underpin our global commercial opportunities.
“It is another positive step towards achieving our business goal of developing a range of effective new medical treatments based on our significant portfolio of antibody platform technologies for a range of cancers and diseases with major unmet clinical needs.”
In June 2011, IST received Orphan Drug Designation for its lead antibody product MDX-1097 from US health regulators, giving the company and its licensing partners access to an accelerated approval process and marketing exclusivity in the US for a number of years.
The company also recently announced it would expand a Phase II clinical trial of its drug, called MDX-1097 for multiple myeloma blood cancer in Australia following encouraging responses from the first dosed patients and positive safety data.
