Nabi receives US patent for treatment and prevention of nicotine addiction with NicVAX conjugate vaccines

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:NABI) announced the receipt of a patent for treating and preventing nicotine addiction with NicVAX^® and related nicotine conjugate vaccines. The United States Patent and Trademark office issued U.S. Patent No. 7,776,620 entitled "Hapten-carrier conjugates for treating and preventing nicotine addiction" for the exclusive use of methods for treating and preventing nicotine addiction with NicVAX and related nicotine vaccines. This patent runs through December 2018.

Nabi's patent portfolio for technology related to NicVAX encompasses a variety of issued and pending patents around the world including five issued U.S. patents related to both composition of matter and therapeutic methodology for treating and preventing nicotine addiction. Claims in these patents are directed to composition of matter, or conjugate vaccines that comprise a nicotine-like molecule linked to a carrier protein as well as methods for the use of these conjugate vaccines to treat and prevent nicotine addiction.

"This patent complements our already issued composition-of-matter patents by providing for the exclusive use by Nabi and/or its licensors a method to treat and prevent nicotine addiction using NicVAX as well as a wide variety of potential nicotine vaccines," said Dr. Raafat Fahim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals. "The patent makes it more difficult for a competitor to develop a related vaccine. Furthermore, as NicVAX is the only nicotine vaccine to have demonstrated statistically significant proof-of-concept clinical results in a phase IIb smoking cessation study, Nabi's particular hapten and conjugate may prove to be an important element in developing an effective nicotine vaccine. Clearly, this patent further solidifies Nabi's intellectual property estate for treating and preventing nicotine addiction with active immmunotherapeutics." 

NicVAX is currently undergoing phase III clinical testing to enable marketing authorization in the U.S. and globally. The company initiated the first clinical trial on November 3, 2009 and with enrollment complete, expects to have final data in the fourth quarter of 2011. A second Phase III trial began in March 2010 and enrollment is well under way with final data expected in early 2012.