Cytran Gets US Patent Covering Anti-Angiogenesis Effects of IM862
The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Cytran Inc. (Kirkland, WA) a patent for the anti-angiogenesis effects of the their lead drug, IM862. The patent covers claims for IM862 to inhibit angiogenesis—the aberrant growth of new blood vessels—in a number of pathological conditions, including malignant tumors, age-related macular degeneration, and vascular diseases. IM862, a small peptide comprised of two amino acids, is currently in a pivotal Phase III human clinical trial.
IM862 is a naturally occurring peptide that can be synthesized and manufactured using conventional pharmaceutical peptide technology. Due to its small molecular weight, IM862 is bioavailable through the mucosa when administered as a nose drop.
Cytran already holds patents for the immune-modulating effects of IM862, as well as for methods of delivery and pharmaceutical formulations of the drug, in all major world markets. In addition to halting the growth of new blood vessels essential for tumor growth, IM862 appears to stimulate natural killer (NK) cells to attack a tumor directly by enhancing production of the cytokine interleukin-12.
In a Phase I/II clinical trial using IM862 in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), over one-third of patients in the trial showed a major response—either complete resolution of the KS lesions or partial reduction in tumor size—within a median response time of six weeks of beginning treatment. Patients self-administered the drug intranasally and experienced minimal side effects.
A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase III KS trial is underway at US and Canadian medical centers. Cytran is also conducting a Phase I/II ovarian cancer trial and is investigating clinical trials in other cancers.
Cytran Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company, developing and commercializing small peptide compounds for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
For more information: Cytran Inc., 10230 NE Points Dr # 530, Kirkland, WA 98033. Tel: 425-889-8822.