Poolbeg Pharma secures key POLB 001 patent in Korea, expanding global IP coverage
() , a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on infectious diseases, announced that the Korean Intellectual Property Office had granted its US Immunomodulator II patent application. The grant will protect Poolbeg's flagship asset POLB 001 until December 2038.
The patent covers a class of drugs known as p38 MAP kinase inhibitors, which include POLB 001 - Poolbeg's flagship anti-inflammatory candidate for the treatment of severe influenza and hypercytokinemia (cytokine storm) characteristic of severe influenza. This encompasses cytokine storm induced in any disease indication.
The Korean patent grant marks a significant step in the development of POLB 001, a potent Phase II-ready p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, which has shown strong potential across multiple disease areas. Notably, POLB 001 has shown effectiveness in treating cytokine release syndrome (CRS) affecting patients receiving certain cancer immunotherapies. POLB 001 is already covered by similar patents in the US and Japan.
Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg, commenting: "This latest patent grant reflects our commitment to further strengthening POLB 001's global IP portfolio, enhancing its value and attractiveness to prospective partners. As a Phase 2 ready oral therapy, POLB 001 holds the potential to significantly benefit patients and healthcare systems globally, and this patent represents another step forward in our mission to positively impact the lives of patients."
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Poolbeg reports another key patent covering its flagship oral candidate POLB 001 as it advances commercial release and partnership talks for the asset.
POLB 001 is a Phase 2-ready anti-inflammatory candidate that has shown significant promise in treating CRS - a toxicity that occurs frequently following certain cancer immunotherapies, such as T-cell engaging antibodies and CAR T cell therapies. Due to CRS risk, administration of such immunotherapies is currently restricted to specialist centres, which limits their uptake. As an oral therapy to prevent or treat CRS, POLB 001 has the potential to enable broader use of cancer immunotherapies in an outpatient setting.
Poolbeg already has a robust portfolio of patents in place covering p38 MAP kinase inhibitors for the treatment of severe influenza, and for POLB 001 for the prevention or treatment of hypercytokinemia. Additional patent applications have been filed to strengthen Poolbeg's POLB 001 portfolio, particularly for CRS. Developing a strong IP portfolio is a priority for the group, enhancing POLB 001's value and appeal to potential partners.
Poolbeg recently presented excellent data related to POLB 001 from a pre-clinical in vivo study, a mouse model of immunotherapy-induced CRS. The study evaluated the effect of POLB 001 on CRS compared to Adalimumab, an anti-TNF antibody which is the gold standard inhibitor of CRS in humanised tumour-bearing mouse models. The study showed that POLB 001 effectively reduced CRS and demonstrated superior cytokine inhibition compared to Adalimumab.
The positive results further reinforced the use case for POLB 001 in the prevention and treatment of CRS. Next, investors can look forward to Phase 2 clinical studies. An effective drug for CRS has the potential to make cancer immunotherapies more tolerable and widely accessible, and enable patients to fully benefit from their treatment. Delivering an effective oral drug for CRS will therefore be a significant value inflection point for Poolbeg.
The field of cancer immunotherapies is rapidly growing and expected to reach US$100bn by 2030. POLB 001 alone has a 3rd party-estimated market potential of US$10bn as CRS is a significant obstacle to the delivery of lifesaving therapies. This is why has seen strong interest in the candidate from biopharma seeking an effective and orally administrable solution to the disease.
As of its most recent interim results, remains well-funded with over £10m in cash despite significant investment in its candidates, positioning it well for further growth.
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