AB Science obtains Japanese patent for Masitinib in ALS treatment

(Boursier.com) — The Japan Patent Office has issued a notice of acceptance for a patent forAB Science relating to methods for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with its flagship molecule, masitinib (JP 2022037132A).

This provides intellectual property protection for masitinib in ALS until 2037. Specifically, this patent provides broad protection for masitinib and related compounds in its class for the treatment of ALS in a subpopulation of patients initially selected for treatment on the basis of disease aggressiveness (as measured by rate of functional progression). This patient population corresponds to the clinical development program for masitinib in ALS (study AB10015), and in particular the ongoing international phase 3 randomized clinical trial (AB19001).

This new patent strengthens the company’s key patent family for masitinib, which includes US patents US7423055B2, US8835435B2, US8993573B2, US8153792B2 and US20100093750A1 (as well as their foreign equivalents).

Masitinib has also received orphan drug designation for ALS from both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This designation of orphan drug confers respectively 10 and 7 years of commercial exclusivity in Europe and the United States from the registration of the product.