Last checked at 13 Mar 2017 07:00
Shield Therapeutics plc
("Shield" or the "Group")
IP Portfolio Update
Patent estate fortified for Feraccru® building internationally on the 2034 UK exclusive position
London, UK, 13 March 2017: Shield Therapeutics plc (LSE:STX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on secondary care, is pleased to announce an IP update including that IP Australia has granted a composition of matter patent protecting the active substance of Feraccru®, the Company's lead product for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), to late October 2035 in Australia.
This Australian patent (Australian Patent No. 2015340825) entitled "Crystalline Forms of Ferric Maltol", was granted utilising an expedited examination under the Global Patent Prosecution Highway program (GPPH) based on the UK patent (UK Patent No. GB2531742) "Polymorphs of Ferric Maltol" granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) in September 2016 protecting the active substance of Feraccru® through to October 2034 in the UK.
The GPPH procedure is also being employed in the United States and Canada and, in addition, the Company has a patent application entitled "Crystalline Forms of Ferric Maltol" pending before the European Patent Office (EPO) which, if granted, would protect the active substance of Feraccru®, Europe-wide, until October 2035. Following International Preliminary Examination (IPE), the EPO considered the pending claims in Europe to be both novel and inventive.
Carl Sterritt, Founder and Chief Executive Office of Shield Therapeutics, commented: "This grant from IP Australia has commenced the expected expansion of territories benefitting from the significant composition of matter IP we first attained for Feraccru® from the UKIPO in September 2016. With our application progressing well with the EPO to cover Europe and with the GPPH procedure being utilized in the United States and Canada, we are confident that in the coming months Feraccru® will benefit from this enhanced breadth and duration of IP protection across an ever broader range of geographies. Commercially, we are continuing to see encouraging signals of demand from prescribers for Feraccru® and we believe the Company remains in a strong position to capitalise on this interest and deliver growth and value to our shareholders."
Feraccru® received marketing authorisation across Europe in February 2016 for the treatment of adults with Iron Deficiency Anaemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Feraccru® is currently in the early stages of commercialisation in Europe, having been launched in the UK in June 2016.
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For further information please contact:
Shield Therapeutics plc | +44 (0)20 7186 8500 |
Carl Sterritt, Chief Executive Officer
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Nominated Adviser and Broker Liberum Capital Limited Christopher Britton/Steve Pearce
| +44 (0)20 3100 2222 |
Financial PR Advisor Consilium Strategic Communications | +44 (0)20 3709 5700 shieldtherapeutics@consilium-comms.com |
Mary-Jane Elliott/Matthew Neal |
About Shield Therapeutics plc
Shield Therapeutics is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the commercialisation and development of late-stage, hospital-focused pharmaceuticals which address areas of unmet medical need. The Group has a marketed product, Feraccru®, for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which has exclusive IP rights until 2034. In addition, the Group is developing PT20, a late-stage pharmaceutical for the treatment of systemic phosphate accumulation (hyperphosphatemia). Shield Therapeutics, headquartered in London, is listed on LSE's AIM under the ticker STX. For more information please visit www.shieldtx.com.