Lpath Granted Another Key U.S. Patent Related to iSONEP and ASONEP Drug Programs

Lpath, Inc., has received official notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that Lpath has been issued a key patent to add to its expanding patent portfolio, which has grown now by five patents over the last six months.

This newly issued patent, No. U.S. 7901682, claims methods of treatment in cancer, pathological angiogenesis, and inflammation using an antibody or antibody fragment that binds sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P).

iSONEP™ and ASONEP™ are different formulations of a first-in-class therapeutic antibody developed by Lpath's ImmuneY2™ drug-discovery engine. Antibodies developed via this discovery engine are designed to target bioactive signaling lipids, such as S1P, that are involved in the proliferation and spread of cancer, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), inflammatory and auto-immune disorders, and many other diseases.

Lpath recently completed two early-stage clinical trials using the two anti-S1P antibody formulations: iSONEP was evaluated in a Phase I trial in wet-AMD subjects and ASONEP was evaluated in a Phase I trial in cancer subjects.

Lpath will soon initiate two iSONEP Phase II trials: The PEDigree Study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of iSONEP in patients with RPE Detachment (PED), for which there is no approved drug, and the Nexus Study will evaluate the safety and efficacy in wet-AMD patients without PED. Lpath entered into an agreement with Pfizer in 2010 that provides Pfizer an exclusive option for a worldwide license to develop and commercialize iSONEP.
 
Lpath is also independently pursuing two ASONEP Phase II trials in two distinct cancer indications.

According to Roger Sabbadini, Lpath's chief scientific officer and main inventor of the issued patent, "Lpath continues to expand its portfolio of issued patents, providing additional protection for our two lead programs, both of which involve disorders - wet AMD and cancer - in which dysfunctional angiogenesis and inflammation contribute to disease progression."