7 November 2019 - - France-based biotechnology company Onxeo S.A. (NASDAQ Copenhagen: ONXEO) has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), granting the company a new patent covering the combination of AsiDNA, Onxeo's first-in-class DDR inhibitor, with any PARP inhibitor (PARPi) for cancer treatment, in the United States, the company said.
Onxeo was granted a corresponding patent in Europe in December 2018.
The new US patent, is valid until 2036.
It further expands Onxeo's intellectual property portfolio for AsiDNA, which now includes 168 number of patents globally.
Onxeo has conducted an extensive preclinical program with AsiDNA in combination with various PARPi in several cancer models, such as triple negative breast cancer and small-cell lung cancer.
In addition to demonstrating the strong synergistic effect of the combination, even in cancer cells non-sensitive to PARPi alone, the translational studies have shown the ability of AsiDNA to prevent the onset of tumor resistance to PARPi and even abrogate an acquired resistance.
This property will be further evaluated in the upcoming Phase 1b clinical study of AsiDNA in combination with a PARP inhibitor in advanced ovary cancer.
Onxeo (Euronext Paris, NASDAQ Copenhagen: ONXEO) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative oncology drugs targeting tumor DNA-binding functions through unique mechanisms of action in the sought-after field of DNA Damage Response.
The company is focused on bringing early-stage first-in-class or disruptive compounds from translational research to clinical proof-of-concept, a value-creating inflection point appealing to potential partners.
platON is Onxeo's proprietary chemistry platform of oligonucleotides acting as decoy agonists, which generates new innovative compounds and broaden the company's product pipeline.
AsiDNA, the first compound from platON, is a first-in-class, highly differentiated DNA Damage Response inhibitor based on a decoy and agonist mechanism acting upstream of multiple DDR pathways.
Translational research has highlighted the distinctive properties of AsiDNA, notably its ability to abrogate tumor resistance to PARP inhibitors regardless of the genetic mutation status.
AsiDNA has also shown a strong synergy with other tumor DNA-damaging agents such as chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors.
The DRIIV-1 (DNA Repair Inhibitor-administered IntraVenously) phase I study has evaluated AsiDNA by systemic administration in advanced solid tumors and confirmed the active doses as well as a favourable human safety profile.
The ongoing DRIIV-1b extension study is assessing the safety and efficacy of a 600 mg dose of AsiDNA in combination with carboplatin and then with carboplatin and paclitaxel, in patients with solid tumors who are eligible for such treatments.
OX401 is a new drug candidate from platON, optimized to be a next-generation PARP inhibitor acting on both the DNA Damage Response and the activation of immune response, without inducing resistance. OX401 is undergoing preclinical proof-of-concept studies, alone and in combination with immunotherapies.
Onxeo's portfolio also includes belinostat, an HDAC inhibitor (epigenetics). Belinostat is already conditionally FDA-approved in the US as a 2nd line treatment for patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma and marketed in the US under the name Beleodaq (belinostat IV form).