4SC granted U.S. patent for drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis

Martinsried-based drug discovery and development company 4SC AG announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office (ASPTO) has granted the patent with the US patent number 7,176,241 for its drug candidate SC12267.

This patent protects the DHODH inhibitor that is used by 4SC to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is currently undergoing testing in clinical phase IIa. In addition, the patent also covers further back-up substances related to SC12267, medical formulations and the treatment of patients with SC12267. The patent will apply until 2020.

The patent is part of a portfolio of patents taken out by 4SC AG for SC12267 and a group of chemically related DHODH inhibitors. Here, a first US patent was already granted back in July 2006. Corresponding patent applications for the substances are pending in Europe, China, India and other countries.

"The patent expands our portfolio of patents by a central element thereby creating the ideal conditions for a potential licensing partnership within the scope of this project," explains Ulrich Dauer, CEO of 4SC AG. "Furthermore, the granting of the patent is the result of our consistent development of a solid patent basis for all of our projects."

Protecting its own inventions by patent is of central importance to 4SC AG and reflects the company's innovative capacity. 4SC AG's research activities centre on the research and development of new chemical substances with superior pharmacological properties. To safeguard these values, 4SC AG is pursuing a clear patent strategy: Based on basic patents that protect the substance class as such, patent applications are then submitted for chemical substances, their use, indications, the application as a drug, and types of application as well as potential combinations. The goal is to acquire the maximum level of protection for the longest possible period of time. In doing so, 4SC AG is aiming to secure patent protection in all globally relevant markets, depending on the respective commercialisation strategy.

Each year 4SC AG's fields of research yield around 20 new inventions for which patents are taken out, and this number is increasing each year.