- Biotech company Immutep (IMM) has been granted a patent from the Japanese Patent Office for its eftilagimod alpha (efti) treatment
- The patent will protect the company’s intellectual property on efti and will expire in December 2034
- efti is Immutep’s anti-cancer drug, which is designed to treat metastatic breast cancer
- In a recent clinical trial, efti was shown to have a higher six-month progression-free survival rate over a placebo treatment
- Immutep is up 5.56 per cent on the market and shares are currently trading for 14.3 cents each
Biotech company Immutep (IMM) has been granted a patent from the Japanese Patent Office for eftilagimod alpha (efti) treatment.
This new patent, titled “Combined Preparations for the Treatment of Cancer,” follows grants in Europe and Australia in 2019.
The patent will protect Immutep’s intellectual property relating to efti and a chemotherapy agent that contains oxaliplatin, carboplatin, and topotecan.
All of these are chemotherapy drugs that treat differing types of cancers and are used together.
This patent expires on December 19 2034.
What is efit?
Efti, which can also be known as IMP321, is Immutep’s anti-cancer drug that is designed to treat metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer is when cancer has spread from the breast and lymph nodes into other parts of the body such as lungs, bones, liver, or brain.
It’s known as the most advanced stage of breast cancer.
In March, Immutep reported on results from a breast cancer trial with 227 metastatic breast cancer patients.
The patients were treated with efti and paclitaxel, an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug and chemotherapy medication, to boost the body’s T-cell immune response against tumours.
T-cells play a major role in defending the body against viruses, parasites, and bacteria, and those with a low count of T-cells generally have a harder time fighting off infections.
Results from this trial showed that at the six-month mark, progression-free survival was in favour of efti (63 per cent) rather than a placebo (54 per cent).
Immutep is up 5.56 per cent on the market and shares are trading for 14.3 cents each at 12:38 pm AEST.