Rexahn granted Japanese patent for preclinical compound RX-0047

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: RNN), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it was awarded patent 4,546,454 entitled, "Antisense Oligonucleotides that Inhibit Expression of HIF-1," by the Japanese Patent Office.

“Obtaining this additional patent coverage for RX-0047 in the large pharmaceutical market of Japan is another step forward for the development of this compound, and helps strengthen our overall global intellectual property position.”

Corresponding patents have been issued to Rexahn in other jurisdictions, including the U.S. and Europe.

The Japan patent covers Rexahn's preclinical compound RX-0047 and a method of inhibiting the expression of HIF-1 in human cells or tissues. HIF-1, a human protein, is involved in angiogenesis, cancer cell survival, radiation resistance and cancer metastasis. Increased HIF-1 levels are associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality in several tumors. RX-0047 has demonstrated the ability to inhibit the expression of HIF-1 and also to induce toxicity in several cancer cell lines. Preclinical studies to date have demonstrated potent anti-proliferative, anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activities.

Rick Soni, President of Rexahn, noted, "Obtaining this additional patent coverage for RX-0047 in the large pharmaceutical market of Japan is another step forward for the development of this compound, and helps strengthen our overall global intellectual property position."