PRESS RELEASE
AB SCIENCE ANNOUNCES ISSUANCE OF A CANADIAN PATENT PROTECTING THE COMPOSITION OF MATTER OF AB8939, INCLUDING ITS USE IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA (AML), WITH PROTECTION UNTIL 2036
THIS PATENT COMPLETES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COVERAGE FOR AB8939 ACROSS ALL KEY GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WHERE IT COULD BE MARKETED, INCLUDING EUROPE, USA, CHINA, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA, INDIA, ISRAEL, LATIN AMERICA, AND AUSTRALIA
Paris, 12 June, 2025, 8am CET
AB Science SA (Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB) today announced that the patent office of Canada has granted a patent (CA 2975644) protecting the composition of matter of AB8939, and closely related compounds, until 2036. This patent also covers the use of AB8939 in the treatment of hematological disorders and/or proliferative disorders and provides a strong overall protection for the AB8939 clinical development program, including the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Issuance of this patent also completes the IP coverage for AB8939 and AML across all key geographic areas where AB8939 could be marketed, including Europe (patent EP 3253749), USA (US 10,570,122), Canada (CA 2975644), China (CN 107531685), South Korea (KR 10-2544132), Japan (JP 6713000), Hong Kong (HK 1243700), Israel (IL 253779), Australia (AU 2016214283), Russia (RU 2758259), Brazil BR (112017016883-9), Mexico (MX 377742), India (IN 480996), and South-Africa (ZA 2017/05537).
AB8939 is a novel microtubule destabilizer, currently evaluated in early phase clinical trials for the treatment of AML. The phase 1 clinical trial of AB8939 has completed its first steps, consisting in determining the maximum tolerated dose following 3 consecutive days and then 14 consecutive days of AB8939 treatment. The next step will be to determine the maximum tolerated dose in the combination of AB8939 with Vidaza® (azacitidine).
In addition to patent protection, AB8939 is also eligible for regulatory data protection in Canada, preventing generic competition for a period of 8 years following initial approval.
AB8939 has also received orphan drug designation for AML from both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This orphan drug designation provides 10 and 7 years of market exclusivity in Europe and the United States, respectively, after product approval.
A separate secondary medical use patent application was filed to protect the use of AB8939 for the treatment of AML with certain chromosomal abnormalities, which if granted, would extend AB8939 protection until 2044 in these sub-populations of AML patients.
About AB8939
AB8939 is a new synthetic molecule which jointly targets cancer cells, by destabilizing the microtubules essential for cell division, and cancer stem cells, by inhibiting enzymes (ALDH1A1 and ALDH2) essential for maintaining their physiological state and survival. The molecule ‘1-{4-[2-(5-ethoxymethyl-2-methylphenylamino)-oxazol-5-yl]phenyl}imidazolidin-2-one’ is the chemical name of AB8939. The intellectual property of AB8939 is 100% owned by AB Science.
About AB Science
Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment.
AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Company’s lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in oncology, neurological diseases, inflammatory diseases and viral diseases. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: AB).
Further information is available on AB Science’s website: www.ab-science.com.
Forward-looking Statements - AB Science
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates as well as the assumptions on which they are based, statements based on projects, objectives, intentions and expectations regarding financial results, events, operations, future services, product development and their potential or future performance.
These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the words "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate" or "plan" as well as other similar terms. While AB Science believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of AB Science and which may imply that results and actual events significantly differ from those expressed, induced or anticipated in the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include the uncertainties related to product development of the Company which may not be successful or to the marketing authorizations granted by competent authorities or, more generally, any factors that may affect marketing capacity of the products developed by AB Science, as well as those developed or identified in the public documents published by AB Science. AB Science disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking information and statements, subject to the applicable regulations, in particular articles 223-1 et seq. of the AMF General Regulations.
For additional information, please contact:
AB Science
Financial Communication & Media Relations
investors@ab-science.com
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