Regado Biosciences Announces Allowance in Europe of a Fundamental Patent Broadly Covering Oligonucleotide Modulators to Blood Coagulation Factor AptamersBASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Regado Biosciences, a privately held company leading the development of antithrombotic aptamers with active control agents, announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) has notified the Company of its intent to grant a patent with claims directed to oligonucleotide modulators of blood coagulation factor aptamers in EP 1401853. This new patent grant in the Company’s portfolio extends the scope and breadth of Regado’s intellectual property estate. “We are very pleased with the EPO’s decision to grant claims from a patent we believe will be fundamental to the development of active control agents for therapeutic aptamers,” said David J. Mazzo, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Regado Biosciences, Inc. “This patent is key to the protection of the Company’s lead product candidate, the REG1 anticoagulation system, and its grant enables the exclusive use of modulator technology in this field solely by Regado.” The allowed claims in EP1401853 broadly cover oligonucleotide modulators that hybridize under physiological conditions to a blood coagulation factor aptamer, and, in so doing, specifically and rapidly reverse the anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects of the aptamer. Upon completion of certain formalities, the patent should issue in approximately six months. Regado also controls certain U.S. patent applications and issued patents covering aspects of the REG1 system, including patents covering certain RNA aptamers to coagulation factors (e.g. US7,312,325) and aptamer modulation (e.g. US7,300,922) exclusively licensed from Duke University, as well as improved coagulation factor modulator systems (e.g., US7,304,041) owned by the Company. ABOUT REGADO BIOSCIENCESRegado Biosciences is pioneering a new therapeutic technology with the creation and development of two-component drug systems. Each system comprises a nuclease-stabilized RNA aptamer that can be controlled directly by its specific and complementary oligonucleotide active control agent. This technology is being applied to injectable antithrombotics, including anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, a multi-billion dollar market in need of therapeutics with improved safety profiles and a greater degree of therapeutic control. Regado’s technology is designed to give physicians the ability to actively and directly control each system’s therapeutic effect providing a safe and unique approach to personalized medicine. ABOUT REG1 and REG2Regado’s lead program, the anticoagulant system REG1, consists of two parenteral agents both administered by IV bolus, the first being a potent highly selective Factor IXa inhibitor (RB006) and the second being its complementary active control agent (RB007). RB007 can be used to selectively completely or partially reverse the anticoagulant effect of RB006. REG1 is intended for application in arterial thrombosis applications, initially in Acute Coronary Syndrome patients undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. REG2, Regado’s second product candidate, consists of a subcutaneously administered formulation of RB006 paired with the IV bolus formulation of RB007. REG2 is intended for use in venous thrombosis indications ABOUT APTAMERSRB006 is a member of a class of compounds called aptamers. Aptamers are single stranded oligonucleotides that adopt a specific conformation enabling direct, specific inhibition of the targeted protein. A key unique feature of aptamers derives from the fact that they are formed from nucleic acids. As such, their pharmacologic activity can be controlled by a matched, complementary oligonucleotide active control agent (the Watson-Crick base pair complement of a fraction of the agent to be controlled), which can bind to the aptamer, removing it from its target and reversing it biologic effects. More information can be found at http://www.regadobio.com. |