Genprex, a clinical-stage gene therapy company, is bolstering its global intellectual property footprint with key patent victories in Japan and Europe. 

 

The Japanese Patent Office has issued a favorable Appeal Decision granting a patent for the use of REQORSA Gene Therapy in combination with PD-L1 antibodies to treat cancer. Meanwhile, the European Patent Office has approved a patent covering the combination of REQORSA and PD-1 antibodies. Genprex holds exclusive licenses to both patents.

 

“These patents will strengthen our global intellectual property portfolio, providing protection for therapeutic combinations, including our ongoing Acclaim-3 clinical trial,” said Thomas Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Genprex. 

 

“The recent decisions by the Japanese Patent Office and European Patent Office to grant patents for our REQORSA gene therapy in combination with immunotherapies represent further validation for our innovative approach to cancer treatment.”

 

The new patents expand on Genprex’s existing IP framework, which already includes U.S. and Korean patents for REQORSA with PD-L1 antibodies, a pending Australian patent, and granted patents for REQORSA with PD-1 antibodies across the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Russia, Australia, Chile, China, Singapore, and Europe. The Japanese and European approvals further solidify the global protection of the company’s lead oncology candidate.

 

Acclaim-3

 

The patents are particularly relevant to Acclaim-3, Genprex’s Phase 1/2 study testing REQORSA in combination with Genentech’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as maintenance therapy for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Patients receive REQORSA and Tecentriq until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurs.

 

The trial builds on positive Phase 1 results, which showed REQORSA was generally well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities. Phase 2 patients are receiving the same dosing used in the Acclaim-1 trial, aiming to advance this combination therapy toward a new standard of care.