On July 18, 2017 Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for oncology, reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent protecting the company’s lead product candidate, tipifarnib, which is currently being studied in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials (Press release, Kura Oncology, JUL 18, 2017, View Source [SID1234519816]). The patent includes multiple claims directed to the use of tipifarnib in patients with HRAS mutant squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and has an expiration date of August 2036, excluding any possible patent term extension. Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! "Our goal is to identify genetically-defined patient populations in which tipifarnib will demonstrate enhanced therapeutic activity and to pursue patent protection in those indications," said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kura Oncology. "The granting of this new patent is a major milestone for Kura, and it illustrates the potential of our broader strategy to generate intellectual property related to tipifarnib and its use in treating human diseases."
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
U.S. Patent No. 9,707,221, entitled "Methods of Treating Cancer Patients with Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors" is directed to the use of tipifarnib for treating patients with relapsed and/or refractory HRAS SCCHN.
About HRAS Mutant SCCHN
Head and neck cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with squamous cell carcinomas accounting for most head and neck cancers. The relapsed and/or refractory SCCHN patient population has an overall survival of approximately 6-8 months and few therapeutic options. New therapies for SCCHN, including immunotherapy, typically show a response rate in the range of 10-20%. HRAS is a proto-oncogene that has been implicated in the development and progression of SCCHN. HRAS mutant SCCHN has an estimated annual incidence of approximately 2,800 to 3,400 patients in the U.S. and represents a significant unmet medical need.
About Tipifarnib
Kura Oncology’s lead program, tipifarnib, is an inhibitor of farnesylation, a key cell signaling process implicated in cancer initiation and development. In extensive clinical trials, tipifarnib has shown a well-established safety profile and compelling and durable anti-cancer activity in certain patient subsets. Preclinical and clinical data suggest that, in the appropriate context, tipifarnib has the potential to provide significant benefit to cancer patients with limited treatment options. Leveraging advances in next-generation sequencing as well as emerging information about cancer genetics and tumor biology, Kura Oncology is seeking to identify patients most likely to benefit from tipifarnib.