SAN DIEGO, CA, June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the European Patent Office has granted two patents to Nventa related to HspE7, its investigational therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases. HspE7 consists of a heat shock protein (Hsp) covalently fused to an HPV E7 viral protein to form one CoVal(TM) therapeutic protein.
Patent Number EP 1,296,711 B1, "HPV E7 For Human Papilloma Virus Treatment," covers the use of Nventa's HPV-16 based CoVal(TM) fusion protein HspE7, for the treatment of HPV-related diseases not caused by HPV-16. The patent addresses and provides Nventa protection around observations made from earlier studies that show clinically relevant responses in diseases such as genital warts.
Patent Number EP 1,336,621 B1, "Immune Responses Against HPV Antigens Elicited by Compositions Comprising HPV Antigens and Stress Proteins or an Expression Vector Capable of Expression of These Proteins," provides further coverage for HspE7 with specific claims for the composition of Hsp-HPV E7 fusion proteins and their use for manufacturing drugs that induce an immune response against HPV protein antigens.
"The protection of our proprietary CoVal(TM) fusion proteins is a priority at Nventa," said Gregory M. McKee, President and Chief Executive Officer at Nventa. "As demonstrated by these two new patents, we are continuing to build an extensive intellectual property estate around our HspE7 program and our other innovative CoVal(TM) fusion proteins to treat viral diseases and cancer. We have already filed, and expect to continue to file additional worldwide applications around the new formulation of HspE7, which could provide extended patent protection on this core program."
About Nventa Corporation:
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Nventa is developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of viral infections and cancer, with a focus on diseases caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The corporation is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NVN. For more information about Nventa, please visit the website located at www.nventacorp.com.
About HspE7, Lead Product Candidate: ------------------------------------
HspE7 is a novel CoVal(TM) fusion therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of diseases caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. An estimated 80 percent of sexually active men and women are infected by genital HPV at some point in their lives. Approximately 5.5 million new sexually transmitted HPV infections are reported in the U.S. each year. At least 20 million people in the U.S. are already infected. HPV infection can result in diseases including internal and external genital warts and precancerous conditions, such as cervical and anal dysplasia. Precancerous HPV-related conditions can progress into life- threatening diseases, including cervical, anal, and head and neck cancers.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the protection provided by our patents and our intent to file future patents applications. You can identify many of these statements by looking for words such as "intends," "believe," "expects," "will," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "continues" or similar words or the negative thereof. The predictions described in these statements may not materialize if management's current expectations regarding the protection of our patents and our filing of future patent applications prove incorrect. Actual results could be materially different from those predicted or implied by these forward-looking statements due to factors over which we have limited control, including but not limited to our need and ability to raise additional funds, our ability to continue as a going concern and challenges to our patents. Please refer to our filings with Canadian securities regulators, as well as filings of GIVC Publications Ltd., our predecessor entity, for more information on these and other applicable risks. We assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any forward- looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent events. For the above- noted reasons, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Contact: -------- Donna Slade Director, Investor Relations 6055 Lusk Boulevard, San Diego, CA USA 92121 Dir: 858.202.4945 dslade@nventacorp.com
Stressgen Biotechnologies Corp.CONTACT: Donna Slade, Director, Investor Relations, 6055 Lusk Boulevard,San Diego, CA, USA, 92121, Dir: (858) 202-4945, dslade@nventacorp.com