TopoTarget A/S
Symbion
Fruebjergvej 3
DK 2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
Tel: +45 39 17 83 92
Fax: +45 39 17 94 92
CVR-nr: 25695771
www.topotarget.com
TopoTarget Announces Award of Two Key Patents
- Valproic acid patent granted in US -
- HDAC patent granted in Europe -
Copenhagen, Denmark - 6 December 2007 - TopoTarget A/S (OMX: TOPO) announced
today that it has been granted a key patent in the US covering the use of
Valproic acid (VPA) to treat the major cancer types. Additionally the company
has been awarded an important HDAC patent in Europe.
The VPA patent US 7,265,154 is valid until February 2022 and covers the use of
VPA and close derivatives against the major types of cancer. A corresponding
patent has already been granted in Europe and is pending in other territories.
“The granting of this patent gives us an extremely strong patent position not
just for skin diseases but also for other cancer indications, for our VPA
franchise of products of BACECA®, AVUGANE™ and Savicol™, which are in Phase II
development treating skin diseases and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)
which leads to colorectal cancer.” Said Professor Peter Buhl Jensen, CEO of
TopoTarget A/S. “The clinical data we have collected to now supports our belief
that there is a clear opportunity in repurposing VPA in order to help patients
with different types of skin cancer including Basal Cell Carcinoma where we
recently published positive Phase II data.”
Additionally the HDAC patent application EP1492534 has been allowed and has
broad claims to a class of hydroxamic acids comprising a piperazine linkage as
histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and their use in proliferative diseases
such as cancer and psoriasis. This application is currently pending in all
major territories, has been granted in New Zealand and allowed in Mexico. The
claims in this application cover the HDAC compound PX118490 which has been
out-licensed to LEO Pharma A/S for development as an anti-psoriasis drug.
TopoTarget's lead product in clinical development, belinostat, is covered by
other patents in the company's IP estate.
“This HDAC patent adds to our already very comprehensive global patent estate
covering our HDAC library,” said Professor Peter Buhl Jensen, Chief Executive
Officer of TopoTarget A/S. “A robust IP position is key in our on-going
strategy to develop new effective oncology therapies that can be brought to the
market to help to treat patients who need them.”
TopoTarget has a number of HDAC inhibitors in clinical and pre-clinical
development, including belinostat, which is currently in Phase II trials for a
number of cancer indications.
Today's news does not change TopoTarget's full-year financial guidance for 2007.
TopoTarget A/S
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Peter Buhl Jensen Telephone +45 39 17 83 41
Chief Executive Officer Mobile +45 21 60 89 22
Ulla Hald Buhl Telephone +45 39 17 83 92
Director IR & Communications Mobile +45 21 70 10 49
Background information
About HDAC inhibitors
HDAC inhibitors are a class of therapeutics with a novel mechanism of action
that target HDAC enzymes involved in the regulation of multiple key processes
in cancer and inflammatory diseases as well as other indications. HDAC
inhibitors function by altering levels of gene transcription and have been
shown to have multiple effects on cancer cells including growth arrest (also in
drug resistant subtypes), induction of apoptosis or programmed cell death,
promotion of cellular differentiation and inhibition of angiogenesis. HDAC
inhibitors can also overcome drug resistance by re-sensitizing chemotherapy
resistant cancer cells to treatment, and in combination with other anti-cancer
agents, produce synergy in their anti-tumour effects.
About TopoTarget
TopoTarget (OMX: TOPO) is a biotech company, headquartered in Denmark and with
subsidiaries in the US, Switzerland, Germany and the UK, dedicated to finding
''Answers for Cancer'' and developing improved cancer therapies. TopoTarget is
founded and run by clinical cancer specialists and combines years of hands-on
clinical experience with in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms of
cancer. Focus lies on highly predictive cancer models and key cancer targets
(including HDACi, NAD+, mTOR, FasLigand and topoisomerase II inhibitors) and a
strong development foundation has been built. TopoTarget has a broad portfolio
of small molecule pre-clinical drug candidates and nine drugs (both small
molecules and protein based) are in clinical development, including both novel
anti-cancer therapeutics and new cancer indications for existing drugs.
Savene™/Totect™ was approved by EMEA in 2006 and the FDA in 2007 and is
TopoTarget's first product on the market. For more information, please refer to
www.topotarget.com.
TopoTarget Safe Harbour Statement
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including statements
about our expectations of the progression of our preclinical and clinical
pipeline including the timing for commencement and completion of clinical
trials and with respect to cash burn guidance. Such statements are based on
management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking statements. TopoTarget cautions investors
that there can be no assurance that actual results or business conditions will
not differ materially from those projected or suggested in such forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the
following: The risk that any one or more of the drug development programs of
TopoTarget will not proceed as planned for technical, scientific or commercial
reasons or due to patient enrolment issues or based on new information from
non-clinical or clinical studies or from other sources; the success of
competing products and technologies; technological uncertainty and product
development risks; uncertainty of additional funding; TopoTarget's history of
incurring losses and the uncertainty of achieving profitability; TopoTarget's
stage of development as a biopharmaceutical company; government regulation;
patent infringement claims against TopoTarget's products, processes and
technologies; the ability to protect TopoTarget's patents and proprietary
rights; uncertainties relating to commercialization rights; and product
liability expo-sure; We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise, unless required by law.
