MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., May 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immunomedics, Inc., (Nasdaq:IMMU) today announced the issuance of U.S. patent no. 8,722,047 for the Company's patent application "Humanized anti-HLA-DR antibodies," with an expiration date of May 26, 2026.
The new patent concerns compositions of humanized anti-HLA-DR antibodies of use for disease therapy. The allowed claims protect IMMU-114, which is being investigated as a monotherapy in a newly-opened Phase I dose-escalation trial in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
HLA-DR is a receptor located on the cell surface whose role is to present foreign objects to the immune system for the purpose of eliciting an immune response. Increased presence of HLA-DR in hematologic cancers has made it a prime target for antibody therapy.
Although other anti-HLA-DR antibodies have been developed, IMMU-114 is distinguished by having a different immunoglobulin class, IgG4, which does not function by the usual effector-cell activities of antibodies, such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). As a result, IMMU-114 does not rely on an intact immune system in the patient to kill tumor cells. Furthermore, because ADCC and CDC are believed to play a major role in causing the side effects of antibody therapy, IMMU-114 is expected to be less toxic to patients.
IMMU-114 has exhibited in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity on a number of human lymphoma cell lines, as well as a panel of leukemia cell lines. Moreover, in one animal model of human NHL, treatment with the anti-HLA-DR antibody was more effective than rituximab in yielding 100% long-term survival.
"IMMU-114 is another innovative product candidate our research scientists have developed," remarked Cynthia L. Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our recent work on its mechanism of action demonstrated that the anti-HLA-DR antibody exerts its exceptional anti-tumor activity through disruption of 2 cellular signaling pathways, ERK and JNK, that are critical for cell growth. This mechanism of action clearly differentiates IMMU-114 from other antibody-based therapies of B-cell cancers, which may allow for combination therapies with other antibodies to be developed. We are pleased to receive this patent protection," Ms. Sullivan concluded.
About Immunomedics
Immunomedics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and other serious diseases. Immunomedics' advanced proprietary technologies allow the Company to create humanized antibodies that can be used either alone in unlabeled or "naked" form, or conjugated with radioactive isotopes, chemotherapeutics, cytokines or toxins. Using these technologies, Immunomedics has built a pipeline of nine clinical-stage product candidates. Immunomedics has an ongoing collaboration with UCB, S.A. (UCB), who has worldwide rights in non-cancer indications to Immunomedics' Phase III product candidate, epratuzumab. UCB expects Phase III data in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the first quarter of 2015. Immunomedics is exploring epratuzumab in oncology in collaboration with outside cancer study groups. Immunomedics' most advanced wholly owned candidate is 90Y-clivatuzumab tetraxetan, which is in an ongoing Phase III registration trial in patients with pancreatic cancer. Immunomedics' portfolio of wholly owned product candidates also includes antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that are designed to deliver a specific payload of a chemotherapeutic directly to the tumor while reducing overall toxicity effects that typically occur when these chemotherapeutic agents are dosed alone. Immunomedics' most advanced ADCs are IMMU-132 and IMMU-130, which are in Phase I/II trials for a number of solid tumors and metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), respectively. Immunomedics also has a number of other product candidates that target solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, as well as other diseases, in various stages of clinical and pre-clinical development. These include bispecific antibodies which have application as T-cell redirecting immunotherapies targeting cancers and infectious diseases as well as next-generation therapies in cancer and autoimmune disease. Immunomedics creates these bispecific antibodies using its patented DOCK-AND-LOCK™ (DNL™) protein conjugation technology. The Company believes that its portfolio of intellectual property, which includes approximately 248 active patents in the United States and more than 400 foreign patents, protects its product candidates and technologies. Immunomedics' strength in intellectual property has resulted in the top-4 ranking in the January 2014 Patent Board scorecard in the Biotechnology industry. For additional information on the Company, please visit its website at www.immunomedics.com. The information on its website does not, however, form a part of this press release.
This release, in addition to historical information, may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including statements regarding clinical trials (including the funding therefor, outcomes, timing or associated costs), out-licensing arrangements (including the timing and amount of contingent payments), forecasts of future operating results, potential collaborations, and capital raising activities, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirements/actions), our dependence on UCB for the further development of epratuzumab for non-cancer indications, risks associated with the outcome of pending litigation, competitive risks to marketed products and availability of required financing and other sources of funds on acceptable terms, if at all, as well as the risks discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any obligation, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.