ValiRx granted US patent for 'VAL201' compound

Clinical stage biotechnology company ValiRx announced on Thursday that the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent number 10,400,008, titled ‘Modulators Of The SRC-Kinase Activity For Preventing Or Treating Metastatic Cancer’, to its lead therapeutic compound ‘VAL201’.

The AIM-traded firm said the grant provided patent protection for a method of preventing the worsening of symptoms of a metastatic cancer, reducing the progression of a metastatic cancer, or treating a metastatic cancer - including prostate cancer - by administration of the VAL201 peptide.

It followed its earlier announcement on 26 June, regarding its receipt of a US patent notice of allowance for the use of VAL201 in the prevention and treatment of metastatic cancer.

Metastatic cancer is classified when the disease spreads beyond the primary tumour to other parts of the body, ValiRx explained.

That spread was known as metastatic disease, and in prostate cancer it commonly spread to the bones and lymph nodes.

The main goals for treatment of metastatic cancer were symptom control, slowing or stopping the rate at which the cancer grew, as well as targeting the underlying cancer.

ValiRx said its VAL201 compound selectively prevented tumour growth by specifically inhibiting the proliferation of tumour cells.

Its inhibitory effects on lymph node metastases had been demonstrated in pre-clinical prostate cancer models.

The compound was currently in a phase 1 and 2 study, primarily assessing the safety and tolerability of VAL201 and its effect in the treatment of prostate cancer and other solid tumours.

It said the trial of VAL201 had met its endpoints “very well”, with the company now able to use the peptide in demonstrating the efficacy of the compound as a therapeutic product, addressing what was currently a poorly-served, but “very substantial” commercial market.

“Since all primary cancers will metastasise and can spread anywhere around the body at some point, this US patent grant, covering one of our largest commercial markets, represents a key addition to our patent coverage and protection for this indication,” said ValiRx chief executive officer Dr Satu Vainikka.

“I look forward to the further development of the VAL201 compound and the validation of its potential anti-cancer impact.”

At 1608 GMT, shares in ValiRx were down 4.62% at 0.12p.