The patent No. 8,343,503 granted by the U.S. Patent Office broadly covers composition of matter and medical use of AllerT, the lead product of Anergis. AllerT is composed of a set of three contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) derived from the allergen Bet v 1, which plays a key role in inducing birch pollen allergy.
“This newly issued patent adds to our growing patent estate,” said Vincent Charlon, CEO of Anergis. “Already in January 2011, the U.S. Patent Office granted the core technology patent ‘Allergen Fragments and Use Thereof’, which broadly covers our Contiguous Overlapping Peptide (COP) technology. This method allows selecting COPs for allergies caused by protein allergens.”
“Anergis´ strategy is to file patents in at least 17 countries across Europe, North America and the rest of the world. Four patent families are currently being pursued, including patents covering our core technology as well as specific products against bee venom, birch pollen and ragweed allergies,” said Christophe Reymond, CSO of Anergis.
AllerT is currently evaluated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb trial enrolling about 300 patients with moderate to severe birch pollen allergy in up to 30 trial centers throughout Europe. Results are expected in Q3, 2013. In an earlier Phase I/IIa trial, a 2-month treatment with AllerT was well tolerated by patients with moderate to severe allergy to birch pollen. In these patients, AllerT elicited long- lasting immunological responses, evidenced by significantly elevated allergen- specific IgG4 antibody levels four years after completion of the 2-month treatment with AllerT.
About Anergis
Anergis SA is a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of novel allergy vaccines targeting the most frequent allergies. Anergis´ vaccines are based on its proprietary Continuous Overlapping Peptides technology. Allergies are the most prevalent and the fastest growing chronic conditions in the industrialized world, with over 500 million people affected. Anergis’ lead-product AllerT, a vaccine to treat birch pollen allergies, is in Phase II clinical development. AllerR, its second vaccine candidate for the treatment of patients with allergy to ragweed pollen, has recently reached important preclinical milestones and received positive feedback from the U.S. FDA for the subsequent clinical development program in June 2012. Anergis has raised over CHF 22 million from Renaissance PME-Vinci Capital, Sunstone Capital, BioMedInvest and other investors including Esperante Ventures and Defi Gestion.
About Anergis´ Contiguous Overlapping Peptides Technology (COPs) The only curative therapy of allergies available today, known as “desensitization” or “Specific Immunotherapy” (SIT), is a process of induction of tolerance to the allergen requiring 3-5 years of treatment and exposing patients to the risk of serious side effects. Anergis has developed a next-generation concept of SIT: vaccines based on COPs (Contiguous Overlapping Peptides), which reproduce the full-length amino acid sequence of the allergen in separate long peptides. COPs do not cross-react with IgE, the antibody class responsible for eliciting allergic hypersensitivity. Therefore, COPs can be safely administered at high doses to induce tolerance to the allergen after few injections only. Studies of COPs targeting bee venom and birch pollen allergies in both animals and humans have demonstrated excellent safety (no immediate allergic reaction) and immunogenicity (production of specific antibodies and cytokines against the original allergen and establishment of a long term immune memory).
Contact:
Anergis SA
CH-1066 Epalinges
Vincent Charlon, CEO
info@anergis.ch
Media Inquiries:
akampion
Dr. Ludger Wess, Ines Regina Buth
Managing Partners
Tel. +49 40 88165964 or +49 30 2363 2768
info@akampion.com
