Poolbeg Pharma granted new US patent

The AIM-traded firm said the patent covered POLB 001, a phase two-ready p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, and related inhibitors for treating severe influenza and hypercytokinemia, or cytokine storm, conditions often associated with severe immune responses.

It described POLB 001 as a potent and selective inhibitor with potential applications across multiple disease areas, including severe influenza and cytokine release syndrome induced by cancer immunotherapies.

The board said the grant further fortified Poolbeg's intellectual property portfolio, which already included patents covering p38 MAP kinase inhibitors for severe influenza and POLB 001’s role in hypercytokinemia treatment.

It said it was continuing to expand its patent coverage with additional filings aimed at protecting the broader class of p38 MAP kinase inhibitors.

Enhancing its IP portfolio was said to be a key component of Poolbeg's strategy to maximise the commercial potential of POLB 001 and attract prospective partners.

“This award by the US patent office further strengthens the IP for our lead development candidate, POLB 001,” said chief executive officer Jeremy Skillington.

“Strong IP is the foundation of value creation in biopharma, and with each new patent, we not only protect our asset but also increase the commercial appeal of POLB 001 to prospective partners.

“We are excited by the potential of POLB 001 to address critical unmet medical needs and we remain focused on high value programmes and partnerships to develop and commercialise our assets.”

At 1315 GMT, shares in Poolbeg Pharma were down 2.38% at 7.71p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.