Alzprotect Strengthens Its Intellectual Property Portfolio for Its First-in-Class Clinical Stage Drug Ezeprogind

LILLE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Alzprotect, a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic solutions for neurodegenerative diseases announces today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently granted patent number US 10,772,884 concerning the therapeutic uses of its first-in-class clinical stage drug Ezeprogind (AZP2006) in the treatment of tauopathies. This patent completes the Ezeprogind related patents granted in the USA for composition of matter (US 9,562,018) and therapeutic uses in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases (US 10,537,569).

This strengthens Alzprotect portfolio of patents covering Ezeprogind that were already granted in Europe (EP 2 938 597 - validated in 26 member states of the European Patent Convention), and in 11 other countries including Japan (JP 6384923) and China (CN 105008333).

All these patents will be in force until at least 27^th December 2033, subject to patent term adjustment or extension, and similar applications are currently under examination in Canada and Brazil.

Alzprotect co-owns or has an exclusive worldwide license from the French National Institute of Health and Medical research (Inserm) and the University of Lille (France) on a total of 58 patents related to Ezeprogind in 39 countries.

Alzprotect continues to expand the Ezeprogind intellectual property with the filing of two new European priority patent applications that will be extended to several other countries outside Europe directed to novel therapeutic uses for specific neurodegenerative diseases as well as new forms of the molecule intended for solid formulations of the drug.

Philippe Verwaerde, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Alzprotect, declared: “This new granted patent will reinforce our strong intellectual property portfolio which is a major asset for our company. I am also happy to extend it with two new applications in both therapeutic and formulation fields.”

Cyrille Brantis, Intellectual Property Manager of Alzprotect, declared: “The grant of Ezeprogind composition of matter and therapeutic use patents in several major countries worldwide provides a significant protection of Ezeprogind’s intellectual property and is a key milestone for Alzprotect. The new patent applications are the outcome of years of high-quality research engaged by Alzprotect and highlight the company’s commitment to the development Ezeprogind.”

Alzprotect is financed by the XERYS fund (Paris).

About Alzprotect

Alzprotect imagines and develops therapeutic solutions to slow down or stop neurodegenerative diseases and restore patients’ brain capacity. Founded in 2007, Alzprotect is a French Lille-based company created by Dr. André Delacourte, one of the pioneers of research on Alzheimer’s disease, and Dr. Patricia Melnyk, expert in medicinal chemistry, in collaboration with University of Lille and Inserm. The company employs 8 people and is supported by BPI France, the National Research Agency and Eurasanté. Alzprotect is committed to the development of innovative therapeutic solutions in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Alzprotect has rights in 6 international patent families covering the medicines it develops and their indications worldwide.

For more information: http://www.alzprotect.com/en – page LinkedIn – corporate video - Ezeprogind MOA video

About XERYS

Xerys is a portfolio management company specializing in private equity with an approach that makes the entrepreneur’s vision central to its investment philosophy. It aims to support the managers of Xerys Funds portfolio companies at all stages of their growth, from venture capital to maturity. https://xerys.com/en/

About EZEPROGIND (AZP2006):

Alzprotect is developing a drug candidate, EZEPROGIND, whose mode of action, acting on Progranulin secretion, is clearly different from other products developed in the past 15 years by the pharmaceutical industry. EZEPROGIND, which is kicking off phase 2a trials, is a bioavailable neurotrophic inducer. Unlike most products developed by the competition, EZEPROGIND targets all causes of neurodegeneration and is not only aiming at markers such as Abeta protein or Tau protein. EZEPROGIND has obtained the status of “orphan drug” in Europe (European Medicines Agency) and in the United States (Food and Drug Administration) in the indication of PSP. It was tested on 88 healthy human subjects throughout three phase 1 clinical trials and has demonstrated excellent tolerability, with no adverse effects.

About neurodegenerative diseases such as PSP and Alzheimer’s disease:

PSP is a tauopathy with predominant accumulation of Tau isoforms with four repeat motifs (4R). It is characterized by neurofibrillary degeneration and neuronal loss in the brainstem, basal ganglia, frontal motor and associative cortex. The disease causes brainstem damage that progressively affects balance, vision, mobility, swallowing and speech. The number of PSP cases in Europe and the United States is estimated at 30,000 and 25,000, respectively. The average life expectancy of PSP patients ranges from 5 to 7 years.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia with an estimated 47 million patients worldwide in 2017, a figure that should increase to 75 million by 2030 or 132 million by 2050, according to the 2017 World Alzheimer Report. The pharmacological targets are Abeta protein, Tau protein and neuroinflammation.

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