Opthea Ltd (ASX:OPT) has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. patent office for its OPT-302 soluble VEGFR-3 ‘trap’ molecule.
The patent covers OPT-302 and its use to treat disorders involving neovascularisation, including eye diseases such are wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).
Opthea is expecting the U.S. patent to be granted in the second half of 2017.
Corresponding patent applications are pending in 17 other countries, with the patent having already been granted in South Africa.
Allowance of the OPT-302 patent builds on Opthea’s extensive intellectual property (IP) portfolio covering soluble forms of VEGFR-3 ‘trap’ molecule.
VEGFR-3 blocks the activity of two proteins that cause blood vessels in the eyes to grow and leak, leading to blindness.
The patent allowance also includes broad methods of use claims for OPT-302 administered alone or in combination for disorders associated with neovascularisation.
These include a number of eye diseases for which there continues to be substantial unmet medical needs.
Opthea is progressing plans to initiate a 350 patient Phase 2B wet AMD clinical trial.
Furthermore, the company is planning additional Phase 2A clinical studies in DME and wet AMD patients who have been previously treated with anti-VEGF-A therapy and experienced a sub-optimal response.
Opthea plans to initiate patient recruitment into the Phase 2B wet AMD and Phase 2A clinical trials in the second half of 2017.
Wet AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world in individuals aged 50 years or older.