Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.MediciNova, a biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has received a new patent from the Japanese Patent Office which covers MN-029 (denibulin) di-hydrochloride.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The patent will expire no earlier than July 2032. The allowed claims cover a compound, pharmaceutical composition and method of treating certain cell proliferation diseases, including solid tumors, based on denibulin di-hydrochloride. MediciNova intends to use denibulin di-hydrochloride in future development.
"We are very pleased to receive this new patent as we believe it will substantially increase the length of exclusivity and hence the potential value of MN-029 in Japan," commented Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and CEO of MediciNova, Inc.
"In addition, the new patent allows us more flexibility as we work to determine which solid tumors with high unmet medical needs are best to focus on in future development."
MN-029 is a novel, small molecule vascular disrupting agent (VDA) being developed for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. MediciNova licensed MN-029 from Angiogene Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Several preclinical pharmacology studies conducted by Angiogene Pharmaceuticals and MediciNova have assessed the mechanism of action and anti-tumor activity of MN-029 in vivo in rodent models of breast adenocarcinoma, colon carcinoma, lung carcinoma and KHT sarcoma.
In these studies, MN-029 damaged poorly formed tumor blood vessels by weakening tumor blood vessel walls and causing leakage, clotting and eventual vascular shutdown within the tumor. These studies suggest that MN-029 acts quickly and is rapidly cleared from the body, which may reduce the potential for some adverse effects commonly associated with chemotherapy.
Shutdown of tumor blood flow in tumor models was confirmed through the use of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. In two Phase I clinical studies conducted by MediciNova, MN-029 was well-tolerated at doses that reduced tumor blood flow.