USPTO issues patent to Tobira’s cenicriviroc for treatment of HIV-1 infection

Tobira Therapeutics, Inc., developer of innovative antiretroviral therapies for HIV, today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent 8,183,273, claiming compositions of matter of a broad family of compounds with activity against chemokine receptors CCR5 and CCR2. The most advanced drug candidate in this family of compounds, Tobira's cenicriviroc, is currently in Phase 2b clinical evaluation for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. This is the second composition of matter patent issued to Tobira in the United States, expanding coverage of Tobira's portfolio of chemokine inhibitors.

"We believe cenicriviroc's dual inhibition of chemokine receptors CCR5 and CCR2 will prove to be one of its most distinctive characteristics, demonstrating antiretroviral activity augmented by anti-inflammatory properties. The issuance of this new patent underscores the innovative chemistry behind cenicriviroc and the broader family of molecules of which it is a member," said Andrew Hindman, Tobira's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We commend the achievements of the inventors at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, who discovered these dual-targeting compounds."