Ecopia BioSciences Inc. Announces That The USPTO Confirms Patent Protection On ECO-4601's Composition Of Matter Claims

Ecopia (TSX: EIA) is pleased to announce that The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has confirmed allowance of US patent application USSN 10/762,107, including notably the composition-of-matter claims directed to Ecopia's lead drug candidate ECO-4601. In 2005, the USPTO had issued a first Notice of Allowance for the application and had then withdrawn it in April 2006, due to a mistake on the part of the office, returning the application to examination for further review. By way of a second Notice of Allowance issued July 12, 2006, the USPTO has now re-affirmed its initial decision that the claimed structure of drug candidate ECO-4601 and methods for its production are novel and inventive over all prior art.