MediGene Acquires Patents on Anti-Cancer Drugs Under Development

License agreements with the University of Chicago guarantee exclusive worldwide rights to the most important groups of patents in the field of oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV)

09-Oct-2003

The German-American biotechnology company MediGene (Frankfurt, Prime Standard: MDG) has acquired additional patents and patent applications for the anti-cancer drug candidates NV1020 and G207 as well as for the underlying HSV technology. license agreements concluded with the University of Chicago grant MediGene the exclusive worldwide rights to the most important groups of patents protecting the commercial use of the above mentioned technology and drug candidates for the treatment of tumor diseases. Until now, MediGene held options for these new patents. The licence agreements enable MediGene to further consolidate its dominant patent position in the field of oncolytic (cancer-killing) herpes simplex viruses (HSV).

HSV technology is a key technology within MediGene's portfolio, providing a novel approach in cancer therapy. Oncolytic HSV are herpes simplex viruses genetically modified to selectively destroy tumor cells without attacking healthy tissue. This technology is based on the assumption that HSV act more selectively and efficiently than traditional cancer treatments, without causing severe side effects. MediGene's HSV technology may be developed for the treatment of many different cancers. At present, MediGene's drug candidate NV1020 to treat colorectal carcinoma metastasized to the liver is undergoing clinical development. Following the successful completion of a phase 1/2 clinical trial of NV1020, a phase 2 clinical trial is being prepared. A phase 1 clinical trial with the HSV-product G207 showed positive data.

The newly licensed rights (nos. WO 9712623, WO 0045853, WO 0040734 and WO 9319591) protect the use of the oncolytic HSV for the treatment of all types of cancer, the combination of those with standard therapies like radiation or chemotherapy, and all replicating HSV expressing therapeutic genes such as cytocines.

Dr. K. Jon Kowal, Senior Vice President Research & Development of MediGene, notes: "MediGene posses the intellectual property rights of the most important anti-cancer herpes simplex viruses and maintains the leading position with our HSV patents. Moreover, we have added patent rights which allow the treatment of cancer with HSV in combination with standard therapies like radiation or chemotherapy. Preclinical and clinical observations show that this combination use has a positive mutual effect. We consider this as a major advantage of our technology."

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/29407/medigene-acquires-patents-on-anti-cancer-drugs-under-development.html