Kura Oncology Expands Protection for Tipifarnib with New U.S. and European Patents
July 11 2019 - 6:30AM
Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision
medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued and the
European Patent Office has granted new patents further protecting
the Company's lead drug candidate, tipifarnib, a potent and
selective farnesyl transferase inhibitor. Tipifarnib is currently
being studied in multiple solid tumor and hematologic indications,
including a registration-directed clinical trial in HRAS mutant
head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
The newly issued U.S. patents are as follows:
- U.S. Patent No. 10,335,404 includes multiple claims directed to
a method of treating patients with HRAS mutant HNSCC consisting of
administering any farnesyl transferase inhibitor; and
- U.S. Patent No. 10,292,979 includes multiple claims directed to
the use of tipifarnib as a method of treating patients with HRAS
mutant non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).
In addition, the newly granted European patent is as
follows:
- European Patent No. 3277842 includes multiple claims directed
to the use of tipifarnib as a method of treating patients with HRAS
mutant HNSCC.
Each of the patents has an expiration date of August 2036,
excluding any possible patent term extension.
“Along with advancing the development of tipifarnib in multiple,
biomarker-defined patient populations, securing robust intellectual
property protection to provide commercial exclusivity in major
commercial markets is an important part of our overall corporate
strategy,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kura
Oncology. “In this regard, we are pleased to announce new U.S. and
European patents that cover the treatment of HRAS mutant HNSCC and
NSCLC patients as well as the issuance of a first U.S. patent that
extends our patent exclusivity to the use of any farnesyl
transferase inhibitor for the treatment of HRAS mutant HNSCC
patients. We believe these patents strengthen our competitive
advantage as we continue to advance the development of tipifarnib,
and we intend to continue to aggressively pursue additional
intellectual property protection, both in the U.S. and abroad.”
Kura’s intellectual property estate comprises multiple patent
families with issued or pending claims related to the use of
tipifarnib as well as claims directed to the use of any farnesyl
transferase inhibitor in biomarker-defined patient populations. In
2018, the USPTO issued separate patents for tipifarnib as a method
of treating patients with certain CXCL12-expressing cancers and as
a method of treating patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell
lymphoma, an aggressive form of T-cell lymphoma often characterized
by high levels of CXCL12 expression. The newly issued patents
further expand protection for tipifarnib, with counterpart patents
beginning to issue in foreign countries.
About Kura Oncology
Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the
treatment of cancer. The Company’s pipeline consists of small
molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways
where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to
improve outcomes by identifying those patients most likely to
benefit from treatment. Kura’s lead drug candidate is tipifarnib, a
farnesyl transferase inhibitor, for which the Company is conducting
a registration-directed trial of tipifarnib in recurrent or
metastatic patients with HRAS mutant HNSCC. In addition, tipifarnib
is being evaluated in multiple other Phase 2 clinical trials in
solid tumor and hematologic indications. Kura’s pipeline also
includes KO-947, an ERK inhibitor, and KO-539, a menin-MLL
inhibitor. For additional information about Kura, please visit the
Company’s website at www.kuraoncology.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to be materially different from historical results or from
any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements
regarding, among other things, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic
potential of Kura’s product candidate tipifarnib, and progress and
expected timing of Kura’s drug development programs and clinical
trials. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially
include the risk that compounds that appeared promising in early
research or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or
efficacy in later preclinical studies or clinical trials, the risk
that Kura may not obtain approval to market its product candidates,
uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials,
regulatory filings and applications, risks associated with reliance
on third parties to successfully conduct clinical trials, the risks
associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital
requirements, and other risks associated with the process of
discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and
effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of
building a business around such drugs. You are urged to consider
statements that include the words "may," "will," "would," "could,"
"should," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "promise,"
"potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends,"
"continues," "designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or
other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. For a
further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the
Company faces, please refer to the Company's periodic and other
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are
available at www.sec.gov. Such forward-looking statements are
current only as of the date they are made, and Kura assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Company:Pete De SpainVice President, Investor Relations
&Corporate Communications(858)
500-8803pete@kuraoncology.com
Investors:Robert H. UhlManaging DirectorWestwicke Partners,
LLC(858) 356-5932robert.uhl@westwicke.com
Media:Jason SparkManaging DirectorCanale Communications(619)
849-6005jason@canalecomm.com
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