Seattle Genetics, Inc. Expands Antibody-Drug Conjugate Patent Portfolio

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent related to its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology. U.S. Patent No. 7,659,241 covers cleavable linkers and potent auristatin drug payloads used in certain of Seattle Genetics’ ADC programs, most notably brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35), as well as many ADC programs in development by its collaborators. Brentuximab vedotin, an ADC that utilizes the vcMMAE drug-linker unit, is in a pivotal trial for relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and a phase II trial for relapsed and refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The company anticipates submitting a New Drug Application for brentuximab vedotin in the first half of 2011.