Biotec Pharmacon ASA has been issued by the Canadian Patent Office of a patent that covers the combination of two compositions of one or more monoclonal antibodies and yeast beta glucan for treatment of a large variety of cancers.
Biotec Pharmacon has developed this concept together with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Biotec Pharmacon and MSKCC are joint owners of this technology and the company has an exclusive license on MSKCC’s rights to this patent.
The patent for invention number 2,536,632 is for a combination of yeast beta glucans and monoclonal antibodies in an amount effective to enhance the antitumor effect of said monoclonal antibodies targeting different cancer types including, but not limited to, colon, lung and breast cancer as well as leukemia.
"This latest patent covers claims in connection with our technology that allows Biotec Pharmacon to enhance the company’s position in the field of glucan adjuvant cancer therapy." said Svein Lien, CEO, Biotec Pharmacon ASA. "This recently issued Canadian patent is a further addition to existing patents in other countries which adds confirmation to Biotec Pharmacon ASAs unique position in developing a universal platform for enhancing existing cancer antibody treatments." he said.
The latest patent comes just a short time after the company was issued patents in the USA, Australia and Mexico. Several international patent applications of this patent family are still pending.
"Today's marketplace in the field of cancer treatment is growing increasingly competitive with the introduction of a large variety of new treatments, and the most successful businesses will be those who leverage their intellectual property as underlying assets to support their strong products," said Mr. Lien. "Biotec Pharmacon has various patents covering our technology for several indications, and we are glad to this way fortify our position in the cancer adjuvant market," he said.
The patent covers the combination of two compositions comprising: (a) a composition comprising complement-activating monoclonal antibody that binds to a cancer cell, wherein said cancer cell expresses an antigen selected from the group consisting of CD20, HER2, EGFR, GD2, and GD3, or the cancer is selected from the group consisting of neuroblastoma, melanoma, non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, Epstein-Barr related lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, retinoblastoma, small cell lung cancer, brain cancer, leukemia, epidermoid carcinoma, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer and stomach cancer; and (b) a composition comprising a yeast beta-glucan in an amount effective to enhance the antitumor effect of said antibody. It further covers the use of such a combination for preparation of a medicament to treat the above cancer types.
