Cantargia reports opposition against recently granted European patent

Cantargia AB reported today that oppositions have been filed against one of Cantargia’s European patents, EP3293202. This patent provides a broad protection for IL1RAP-targeting antibodies with similar properties as nadunolimab. Cantargia holds a large number of granted patents related to IL1RAP-targeting therapies. The oppositions have no formal impact on Cantargia’s other patents, including those specifically covering nadunolimab.

Cantargia has extensive patent protection for IL1RAP-targeting antibodies, through over 100 granted patents globally including therapy and diagnostics of cancer. Cantargia’s patent families also include patents, granted in key commercial territories such as the US, Europe, Japan and China, related to treatment of leukemias and solid tumors.

Cantargia today reported that oppositions have been filed by third parties against its recently granted European patent, EP3293202. This patent provides a broad protection for IL1RAP-targeting antibodies with defined properties, such as binding site, affinity, and capability to internalize into cancer cells. It should be noted that additional European patents in this family, including the patent more specifically directed to the lead program nadunolimab, and related variants thereof, remain unaffected by the oppositions. The next step is a formal procedure where Cantargia is invited to comment on the oppositions. This process is expected to conclude within 1-2 years.

“Based on the positive clinical results that Cantargia has presented for nadunolimab, an increased competition in the IL1RAP space has been noted, even though Cantargia is well ahead. Opposition against granted patents is a common competitive tool in commercially promising areas, and these latest oppositions validate this view. Our opinion is that the support for the granted patent is solid and that the oppositions are groundless.” said Göran Forsberg, CEO of Cantargia.

Previously filed oppositions against Cantargia’s patent portfolio have been unsuccessful and Cantargia has managed to maintain its protection for IL1RAP-targeting therapy with unchanged claim scope. The most recent opposition against one of Cantargia’s European patents with claims directed to anti-IL1RAP antibody for treatment of solid tumors expressing IL1RAP, was rejected in its entirety by the European Patent Office.

For further information, please contact
Göran Forsberg, CEO
Telephone: +46 (0)46-275 62 60
E-mail: goran.forsberg@cantargia.com

This is information that Cantargia AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 16.00 CET on 1 December 2021.

About Cantargia
Cantargia AB (publ), reg. no. 556791-6019, is a biotechnology company that develops antibody-based treatments for life-threatening diseases and has established a platform based on the protein IL1RAP, involved in a number of cancer forms and inflammatory diseases. The main project, the antibody nadunolimab (CAN04), is being studied clinically in combination with chemotherapy or immune therapy with a primary focus on non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Positive interim data from the combination with chemotherapy indicate stronger efficacy than would be expected from chemotherapy alone. Cantargia’s second project, the antibody CAN10, addresses treatment of serious autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, with initial focus on systemic sclerosis and myocarditis.

Cantargia is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (ticker: CANTA). More information about Cantargia is available at www.cantargia.com.

About nadunolimab (CAN04)
The antibody CAN04 binds strongly to its target IL1RAP and functions by inducing ADCC and blocking IL-1α and IL-1β signaling. Thereby, CAN04 can counteract the contribution of the IL-1 system to the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment and development of resistance to chemotherapy. CAN04 is investigated in multiple ongoing clinical trials. In the phase I/IIa-study CANFOUR, first line combination therapy is investigated with standard chemotherapies in patients with PDAC (gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel) and patients with NSCLC (cisplatin/gemcitabine) (NCT03267316). Positive interim data for the combination therapies show durable responses or pseudoprogression in patients with PDAC, resulting in median iPFS of 7.8 months and median survival of 12.6 months. Stronger efficacy was also observed in NSCLC patients with median PFS of 7.2 months. A response rate of 53% was observed in non-squamous NSCLC patients, with even higher responses in patients previously treated with pembrolizumab. These results show stronger efficacy than expected from chemotherapy alone. CAN04 is investigated with chemotherapy also in the phase I study CAPAFOUR, with the FOLFIRINOX regimen for first line treatment of metastatic PDAC (NCT04990037), and in two further clinical studies, CESTAFOUR and TRIFOUR, in additional forms of cancer, including biliary tact cancer, colorectal cancer and triple negative breast cancer. CAN04 is also evaluated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, with or without chemotherapy, in the phase I study CIRIFOUR (NCT04452214).