- Patent EP3258951B1, Anti-PVRIG Antibodies and Methods of
Use, granted by the European Patent Office covers any
anti-PVRIG antibody which activates T cells and/or NK cells for use
in the treatment of cancer
- The opposition division of the European Patent Office ruled to
maintain the broad claims of the patent as granted
HOLON, Israel ,
July 17,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Compugen Ltd. (Nasdaq: CGEN)
(TASE: CGEN) a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company and a
pioneer in computational target discovery,
today announced that the broad claims of Compugen's
Anti-PVRIG Antibodies for use in treating cancer patent granted by
the European Patent Office, which had been under opposition, have
been successfully maintained.
Oppositions were pursued by GSK and an anonymous opponent
represented by a third party against EP3258951B1. In an oral
proceedings hearing on July 11 2023,
the opposition division of the European Patent Office ruled in
favor of maintaining the broad claims in the patent as granted to
Compugen. The opponents can appeal this decision.
"We are delighted with the decision of the opposition division
of the European Patent Office ruling in favor of maintenance of the
broad claims in the patent as granted, supporting our patent
strategy in novel target discovery." said Anat Cohen-Dayag, Ph.D., President, and CEO of
Compugen.
Dr. Cohen-Dayag continued, "PVRIG is a novel immune checkpoint
target, discovered by Compugen and along with TIGIT and PD-1 is
part of the DNAM-1 axis. Our data suggest that in certain patients
and in certain tumor types there is a need to block all three
pathways in the DNAM-1 axis and we are currently leading the way in
evaluating the triple blockade of PVRIG in combination with TIGIT
and PD-1 in two proof of concept studies in tumors typically not
responsive to immunotherapy, microsatellite stable colorectal
cancer and platinum resistant ovarian cancer."
Compugen was represented by Markus
Rieck, LL.M., Partner, Patent Attorney, Fuchs
Patentanwälte Partnerschaft mbB and Thomas Wolter, Partner, Patent Attorney, Mewburn
Ellis LLP.
About Compugen
Compugen is a clinical-stage therapeutic discovery and
development company utilizing its broadly applicable predictive
computational discovery capabilities to identify new drug targets
and biological pathways for developing cancer
immunotherapies. Compugen has developed two proprietary
product candidates: COM701, a potential first-in-class anti-PVRIG
antibody and COM902, a potential best-in-class antibody
targeting TIGIT for the treatment of solid tumors. Compugen also
has a clinical stage partnered program, rilvegostomig (previously
AZD2936), a PD-1/TIGIT bi-specific derived from COM902, in Phase 2
development by AstraZeneca through a license agreement for the
development of bi-specific and multi-specific antibodies. In
addition, the Company's therapeutic pipeline of
early-stage immuno-oncology programs consists of programs
aiming to address various mechanisms of immune resistance. The most
advanced program, COM503 is in IND enabling studies. COM503 is
a potential first-in-class, high affinity antibody which blocks the
interaction between IL-18 binding protein and IL-18, thereby
freeing natural IL-18 to inhibit cancer growth in the tumor
microenvironment. Compugen is headquartered in Israel, with offices in San Francisco, CA. Compugen's shares
are listed on Nasdaq and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the
ticker symbol CGEN.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe-harbor provisions of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs,
expectations, and assumptions of Compugen. Forward-looking
statements can be identified using terminology such as "will,"
"may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "potential," "plan,"
"goal," "estimate," "likely," "should," "confident," and "intends,"
and similar expressions that are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, our belief that the
decision of the opposition division of the European Patient Office
ruling in favor of maintenance of the broad claims in the patent as
granted, supporting our patent strategy in novel target
discovery and that our data suggest that in certain patients
and in certain tumor types, there is a need to block all three
pathways in the DNAM-1 axis.These forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause
the actual results, performance, or achievements of Compugen to be
materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Among these risks: In the near term, Compugen is highly
dependent on the success of COM701 and of COM902; Compugen may not
be able to advance its internal clinical stage programs through
clinical development or manufacturing or successfully partner or
commercialize them, or obtain marketing approval, either alone or
with a collaborator, or may experience significant delays in doing
so; Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process,
with an uncertain outcome and Compugen may encounter substantial
delays or even an inability to begin clinical trials for any
specific product or may not be able to conduct or complete its
trials on the timelines it expects; Compugen has limited experience
in the development of therapeutic product candidates, and it may be
unable to implement its business strategy. These risks and other
risks are more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of
Compugen's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents
that may be subsequently filed by Compugen from time to time with
the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent
Compugen's views only as of the date of this release and should not
be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.
Compugen does not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements unless required by law.
Company contact:
Yvonne
Naughton, Ph.D.
Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Email: ir@cgen.com
Tel: +1 (628) 241-0071
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SOURCE Compugen Ltd.