Aptahem receives Intention to Grant from the European Patent Office for the protection of patent family 2

2021-07-05

Aptahem AB (publ) announces today that the company has received information that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued an Intention to Grant of the EU patent application EP 18783424.7 entitled A nucleic acid molecule with anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulant and organ-protective properties. The application covers the therapeutic protection of the company’s aptamer Apta-1 which is being developed as treatment for disease syndroms caused by inflammation, coagulation and/or organ failure.

This application is part of the patent family 2 with Aptahem’s CSO Dr Luiza Jedlina as the inventor. Aptahem has now received an Intention to Grant for this application. Before the patent application can be finally granted, it will be translated to French and German, the other two official languages in Europe. After approval, the so called validation phase starts when the company will decide in which specific European countries to apply for patent protection. When the patents officially have been approved they will be valid until 2037.

CEO Mikael Lindstam comments:
”Last week we received the Notice of Allowance from the USA and both surpringsly and pleasing we have now received the intention to grant from the EPO to approve our second patent family which protects the therapeutic areas for Apta-1. To receive preliminary approvals for the two largest markets is a great message of strength for Aptahem in our continued business development activities. This further increase of value on Aptahem’s portfolio will even more strengthen our position in our partnering discussions.”

For further information:
Aptahem AB
Mikael Lindstam, CEO
Tel: +46 (0)766-33 36 99
E-mail: ml@aptahem.com

This contains such information that Aptahem AB is obliged to make public according to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was provided through the agency of the above contact person for publication on 05 July 2021.

About Sepsis
Sepsis is today considered a world health problem and affects 49 million people worldwide each year, of which 11 million die. In Europe alone, over 1 million people are estimated to be affected by sepsis on a yearly basis*. There is currently no specific treatment for sepsis, but instead the underlying symptoms are treated with antibiotics, fluids and oxygen.

* Rudd KE, Johnson SC, Agesa KM, Shackelford KA, Tsoi D, Kievlan DR, Colombara DV, Ikuta KS, Kissoon N, Finfer S, Fleischmann-Struzek C, Machado FR, Reinhart KK, Rowan K, Seymour CW, Watson RS, West TE, Marinho F, Hay SI, Lozano R, Lopez AD, Angus DC, Murray CJL, Naghavi M. Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990-2017: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 2020 Jan 18;395(10219):200-211. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32989-7. PMID: 31954465; PMCID: PMC6970225.

About Aptahem
Aptahem AB (APTA) is a biotechnology company that develops aptamer-based pharmaceuticals for the treatment of life-threatening conditions in which a combination of coagulation and inflammation are involved. The company’s primary pharmaceutical candidate, Apta-1, is being developed with the aim of preventing the high mortality rate caused by organ and tissue damage in sepsis patients, among others. The company possesses patent protection in strategic target markets and actively seeks business development opportunities with potential collaborators.