Copenhagen and Oslo, 31st January, 2011, 2011-01-31 10:36 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affitech A/S, (NASDAQ OMX: AFFI), the antibody medicines company, announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) recently granted European patent (EP 1800133) covering the Company’s proprietary Cell Based Antibody Selection (CBASTM) technology. The newly granted EU patent considerably strengthens Affitech's IP position regarding its CBASTM technology which is used to generate antibodies to highly complex antigens on cell surfaces.
AT008/CCR4, an important preclinical programme in Affitech’s portfolio targets CCR4, a G-protein coupled receptor involved in the progression of cancer and certain inflammatory conditions, and was generated using CBASTM technology.
The CBASTM patent has also recently been granted in Russia as patent RU 2402777and in addition is already granted in Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand and is pending in several other countries incl. Japan and the USA.
Affitech further announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent on multivalent multispecific antibodies (US 7,838,637) that covers a specific format of recombinant antibody and antibody fragments. Such formats could, for example, be used to direct and enhance the body’s immune response to specific tumors or multiple pathways. This format enables the construction of next generation designer antibodies which allow new approaches for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases.
Commenting on the two new patents Managing Director of Affitech A/S Martin Welschof said:
“The granting of the European CBASTM patent is an important part of our IP portfolio and is fundamental to our strategic focus on developing antibodies to highly complex targets in their natural environment, such as G protein coupled receptors. The USPO patent on multispecific antibodies provides us with an important new format, allowing additional modes of action to tackle unmet medical needs and is now part of our integrated antibody technology platform.”
Affitech ASis a publicly traded (NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen) human therapeutic antibody company based in Copenhagen, Denmark with R&D facilities in Oslo, Norway. The company utilizes a range of proprietary antibody technologies for the discovery of fully human antibodies for application in oncology, inflammation and other disease areas. CBAS™ (Cell Based Antibody Selection) is Affitech’s premier discovery engine for the isolation of lead antibodies to cell surface molecules in situ. Several of the Company's proprietary product candidates were generated by CBAS™. Further information is available at www.affitech.com.
Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements and forecasts based on uncertainty, since they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and which, by their nature, will have an impact on results of the financial condition and operations of Affitech A/S. There are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements and forecasts. These factors include, among other things, risks associated with technological development, the risk that research & development will not yield new products that achieve commercial success, the impact of competition, the ability to transact viable and profitable commercial deals, the risk of non-approval of patents not yet granted, and difficulties of obtaining relevant governmental approvals for new products.
No expressed or implied representations or warranties are given concerning Affitech A/S or the accuracy or completeness of the information provided herein, and no claims shall be made by the recipient of this news release by virtue of the information contained herein.
Contact:
Randi Krogsgaard, Director IR & Corporate Communications
Tel # +45 2320 1001, e-mail: ir@affitech.com
