THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA), a biopharmaceutical
company developing personalized immunotherapies for autoimmune disorders
including multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO), today
announced the issuance of four additional key patents covering its broad
T-cell immunotherapy platform. The recent allowances bring the number of
granted U.S. and international patents in Opexa’s patent portfolio to
160, including in-licensed patents. The expansion of Opexa’s
intellectual property portfolio further strengthens the patent estate
surrounding Tcelna®, Opexa’s personalized T-cell immunotherapy in
development for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple
sclerosis.
Recently-granted European Patent Nos. 1546719, 2016414 and 2420833 are
directed to Opexa’s proprietary methods for preparing individualized
T-cell vaccines, while European Patent No. 2363710 is directed to the
autologous T-cell vaccine compositions themselves. The claims cover the
use of particular immunodominant epitopes found in myelin basic protein,
proteolipid protein and myelin oligodendrocyte protein in the
preparation of such T-cell vaccines, as well as the identification and
use of specific antigenic epitopes that are disease-relevant for
individual patients from these and other polypeptide antigens.
“We are very pleased with the issuance of the new European patents and
the continued growth of our intellectual property portfolio,” stated
Neil K. Warma, President and Chief Executive Officer of Opexa. “This
family of patents is key to protecting and strengthening our
intellectual property position surrounding our personalized T-cell
immunotherapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. We continue to
be aggressive in the strengthening of our patent estate and have also
recently submitted new patent applications related to our proprietary
epitope screening assay and potency assay.”
About Opexa
Opexa is a biopharmaceutical company developing a personalized
immunotherapy with the potential to treat major illnesses, including
multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as other autoimmune diseases such as
neuromyelitis optica (NMO). These therapies are based on Opexa’s
proprietary T-cell technology. The Company’s leading therapy candidate,
Tcelna®, is a personalized T-cell immunotherapy that is in a Phase IIb
clinical development program (the Abili-T trial) for the treatment of
secondary progressive MS. Tcelna consists of myelin-reactive T-cells,
which are expanded ex vivo from the patient’s peripheral blood and
reintroduced into the patient in an attenuated form via subcutaneous
injections. This process triggers a potent immune response against
specific subsets of autoreactive T-cells known to attack myelin for each
individual patient.
For more information, visit the Opexa Therapeutics website at www.opexatherapeutics.com
or follow company news on Twitter
via @OpexaCEO.
Cautionary Statement Relating to Forward-Looking Information for the
Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Statements contained in this release, other than statements of
historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The
words "expects," "believes," "may," "intends," "potential" and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future
performance. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements,
including without limitation statements regarding the safety, efficacy
and projected development timeline of drug candidates such as Tcelna®
and OPX-212 constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based upon our current expectations and involve
assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect.
Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from
those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of
various risks and uncertainties, which include without limitation our
ability to raise additional capital to continue our development
programs, our ability to successfully develop potential products such as
Tcelna and OPX-212, our ability to obtain, maintain and protect
intellectual property rights (including for Tcelna and OPX-212), as well
as other risks associated with the process of discovering, developing
and commercializing drug candidates that are safe and effective for use
as human therapeutics. These and other risks are described in detail in
our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2022. All forward-looking statements contained in
this release speak only as of the date on which they were first made by
us, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect
events that occur or circumstances that exist after such date.
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Source: Opexa Therapeutics, Inc.