PCI Biotech: US patent for the vaccine technology (fimaVACC) in combination with checkpoint inhibitors

On May 31, 2021 PCI Biotech (OSE: PCIB), a cancer focused biopharmaceutical company, reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has informed the company that a new US patent will be granted early June 2021 (Press release, PCI Biotech, MAY 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234585159]). The US patent covers the use of fimaVacc in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
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!

The use of ICIs has revolutionised cancer immunotherapy, as this class of drugs may induce long-lasting effects in those patients responding to treatment. Unfortunately, most patients do not respond to ICI therapy and different treatment combination strategies are explored with the aim to increase the number of patients responding. Combining ICIs with therapeutic cancer vaccines that induce relevant immune responses against the tumour cells is regarded as one of the most promising strategies. The patent that soon will be granted in the US covers the use of PCI Biotech’s fimaVacc vaccination technology in combination with important classes of ICIs and an important type of immunological adjuvants (a class of so-called Toll like receptor agonists).

"Increasing the response rates to ICI’s is one of the pharma industry’s main priorities in cancer and therapeutic cancer vaccination is a rational approach to this aim. The fimaVacc technology has delivered encouraging immune responses in early phase clinical trials and this US patent provides relevant intellectual property for the further development of this technology." said Dr. Per Walday, CEO of PCI Biotech.

As part of PCI Biotech’s strategy for applying the PCI technology for therapeutic cancer vaccines, several global patent applications were filed in 2013-2016. Today’s announced US patent secure protection until 2036 and this patent application is still pending in Europe and key Asian markets.