Benzinga | Nov 15, 2021 11:04AM EST

Immutep Granted Chinese Patent For Eftilagimod Alpha, A Soluble Lag-3 Fusion Protein, In Combination With A PD-1 Pathway Inhibitor

Immutep Limited ((ASX: IMM, NASDAQ:IMMP) ("Immutep" or "the Company"), a biotechnology company developing novel LAG-3 related immunotherapy treatments for cancer and autoimmune disease, is pleased to announce the grant of a new patent (number ZL 201680005401.3) entitled "Combined Preparations for the Treatment of Cancer or Infection" by the Chinese Patent Office.



This new Chinese patent follows the grant of the corresponding European and United States patents announced in 2018 through 2021. The claims of the new patent protect Immutep's intellectual property relating to combined therapeutic preparations comprising (a) its lead active immunotherapy candidate eftilagimod alpha ("efti" or "IMP321"), which is a soluble LAG-3 fusion protein (LAG-3Ig), and (b) an anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibody. The claims are also directed to use of the preparations for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease.

The new patent is owned by Immutep S.A.S. and exclusively licensed to Immutep's partner in China, EOC Pharma ("EOC"). The patent expiry date is 8 January 2036.

Immutep CEO, Marc Voigt, noted: "This new patent again highlights the important investments Immutep is making to protect efti, with its unique mode of action. The LAG-3 immune checkpoint has attracted significant interest from the medical, pharma and investment communities in recent months following important validation of this target by the pharma industry. We are well placed to make an important contribution to this exciting field and are also very much looking forward to continuing our close collaboration with EOC Pharma as they commence multiple trials with efti in China in the coming months."

EOC Pharma CEO, Xiaoming Zou, said: "We are again very pleased that our partner, Immutep, continues to make progress in building a robust patent estate around efti. This underpins our continued investment in developing this promising candidate for the Chinese market."