Arecor granted three patents in US, India

Biopharmaceutical company Arecor Therapeutics has received patents for its novel formulations of insulin and adalimumab, it announced on Thursday.

The AIM-traded firm said the Indian Patent Office granted a patent for its proprietary insulin products, ‘AT247’ and ‘AT278’, until 2038.

Additionally, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted two patents for its novel formulations of high-concentration adalimumab, also until 2038.

Adalimumab, sold by AbbVie under the brand name ‘Humira’, had been a blockbuster monoclonal antibody product since its launch in 2003, with the market shifting to use the high-concentration version in recent years.

Arecor said formulating a high concentration version of adalimumab was technically challenging, further complicated by a complex patent landscape surrounding adalimumab formulations.

Using its ‘Arestat’ technology, the company developed novel formulations enabling a high-concentration adalimumab product with “excellent” stability.

The two granted US patents would protect the novel formulation space enabling the formulations, and followed earlier, similar patents granted in Europe.

It added that the granted Indian patent was an important milestone, as it would protect the formulations of its clinical insulin candidates, AT247 and AT278, which were designed to accelerate insulin absorption post-injection, allowing for better management of blood glucose levels.

The board said that was particularly important during difficult-to-manage mealtimes, which could be a challenge for people living with diabetes.

It said the patent was part of Arecor's strategy to generate strong protection through a combination of narrow and broad interrelated intellectual property rights covering the features of its products within key markets.

The granted patent added to patents already granted in the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

“As we continue to successfully apply our Arestat technology to develop enhanced pharmaceutical products, it is crucial that we maintain strong IP protection, both for the fundamental features of our technology and for the final drug products,” said chief scientific officer Dr Jan Jezek.

“These three recently granted patents demonstrate the continued strength of Arecor's IP portfolio, providing further protection for our differentiated in-house development products AT247 and AT278, as well as within competitive IP areas such as that surrounding adalimumab formulations.

“These patents further reinforce the strength of Arecor's technology and expertise in valuable commercial areas such as inflammatory diseases and diabetes.”

At 1528 GMT, shares in Arecor Therapeutics were flat at 248p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.