NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. (OTCBB:ILNS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-modifying therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases, announced today it has filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court against a top tier global pharmaceutical company for breach of the licensing agreement between the parties.
On May 8, 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted to Intellect a patent covering the company's ANTISENILIN® monoclonal antibody platform technology for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Intellect believes that under the terms of a license agreement with the company in question, the issuance of the patent triggered a $2 million milestone payment. The licensee informed Intellect that it does not believe the milestone payment is due under the license agreement.
"The idea that this global pharmaceutical company would attempt to withhold payment of a milestone payment stipulated in a license contract should be exceptionally distressing to every patent holder, especially small biopharmaceutical companies the size of Intellect Neurosciences, whose ability, in this case, to conduct critically important Alzheimer's research is dependent on receiving such payments from its licensees," said Daniel Chain, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Intellect. "After exhausting all non-litigious options to secure our $2 million milestone payment, we realized we have no option save pursuing payment via the courts."
The patent discloses therapeutic antibodies to treat or delay onset of Alzheimer's disease and is based on discoveries that stimulated development of monoclonal antibodies that several global pharmaceutical companies have tested as treatments for Alzheimer's disease. The antibodies specifically bind to the ends of the beta amyloid protein without binding to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which has important advantages compared to antibodies that do not have this feature. Intellect has additional patent applications pending in the United States and in other countries relating to its antibody technology.
Intellect Neurosciences, Inc., develops innovative approaches aimed at arresting or preventing Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases especially focused on proteinopathies. Intellect's pipeline includes therapeutic vaccines, antibodies and neuroprotective antibody drug conjugates. For more information, please visit www.intellectns.com.
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Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
The statements in this release and oral statements made by representatives of Intellect Neurosciences relating to matters that are not historical facts (including, without limitation, those regarding future performance or financial results, the timing or potential outcomes of research collaborations or clinical trials, any market that might develop for any of Intellect's product candidates and the sufficiency of Intellect's cash and other capital resources) are forward-‐looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the likelihood that actual performance or results could materially differ, that future research will prove successful, the likelihood that any product in the research pipeline will receive regulatory approval in the United States or abroad, or Intellect's ability to fund such efforts with or without partners. Intellect undertakes no obligation to update any of these statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-‐looking statements, which speak only as to the date hereof. Accordingly, any forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the additional risks and uncertainties detailed in Intellect's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Intellect's Annual Report on Form 10-K (file no. 333-‐128226), filed on October 13, 2011, and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2012, which was filed on May 14, 2012.