Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Issued Important U.S. Patent Covering Vosaroxin Use to Treat Leukemia

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 3, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNSS) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent No. 7,989,468 claiming methods of use for the Company's lead drug candidate, vosaroxin, at clinically relevant dose ranges and schedules, for the treatment of leukemia. The '468 patent, which is based on an application filed on March 14, 2005, is subject to a patent term adjustment under title 35, section 154 (b) of U.S. Code, extending its coverage through 2026. Corresponding patent applications are pending in major markets throughout the world including Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada. Sunesis is currently enrolling a Phase 3, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pivotal clinical trial of vosaroxin in combination with cytarabine in first relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, the VALOR trial.