TauRx Granted European Composition of Matter Patent for Lead Compound in Treatment and Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases Including Alzheimer’s Disease

TauRx Pharmaceuticals Ltd (“TauRx”), a leader in the discovery and development of drugs and diagnostics that provide new treatment options for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, announced that it has been granted a European patent for its lead compound LMTX, a next generation treatment for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with Tau protein mis-folding.

TauRx has also received a US notification of allowance for a similar patent. The EU patent (EP2013191,extending until 2027) claims describe  LMTX, a novel chemical entity and second generation Tau Aggregation Inhibitor, for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with Tau protein mis-folding. The patent further strengthens the company’s IP portfolio in this commercially valuable but highly underserved field.

LMTX is in preparation to enter Phase III trials. TauRx's data suggests that LMTX works by reducing levels of aggregated or mis-folded Tau proteins, which are intimately associated with the cause of and the progressive neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s disease.

TauRx’s Tau Aggregation Inhibitors (TAI’s) offer a major advance over existing medicines which only transiently address the symptoms of AD and related diseases and cannot slow their progression. Phase III confirmation of the drug’s disease modifying capability combined with its longer than average period of patent protection positions LMTX as a unique and valuable asset within TauRx’s portfolio.

LMTX shares the same active moiety (methylthioninium (MT)) and mode of action as, TauRx’s first generation Tau Aggregation Inhibitor, rember® but is designed to have better bioavailability and tolerability. The rember® phase II clinical trials delivered an 80% reduction in the rate of Alzheimer’s disease progression and provided the first clinical demonstration that a new therapy targeting Tau protein aggregation could dramatically reduce the rate of  progression of this deadly disease. The LMTX family also has activity against synuclein aggregation, another protein misfolding disorder leading to Parkinson’s disease, offering  potential for development in this indication.

Commenting on the patent, Professor Claude Wischik, Executive Chairman of TauRx, said: “This patent is a tremendous validation of TauRx’s world leading position in developing therapies for neurodegenerative disorders by attacking the root cause of protein mis-folding. Our LMTX programme is poised for Phase III clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease and has a good chance of becoming one of the first–to-market disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s.”

In addition, patent applications have been granted in Eurasia (South Korean Patent No. 10-0983301) and Hong Kong (Hong Kong Patent No. 1126480B) and a Notice of Allowance has been received in the US, with applications pending in certain other countries.