Follicum expands patent portfolio: First diabetes patent published and promising experimental data supports new patent application
Lund, Sweden, November 12, 2018. Follicum AB ("Follicum" or "the Company") today announced that the company's diabetes project is progressing according to plan and that the company has submitted a new patent application. Experimental studies show that the company’s new optimized peptides exert a protective and preservative effect on beta cells exposed to high glucose concentrations long-term. The latest patent application covers new aspects discovered during preclinical studies of the peptide class. The results, which are unambiguously positive, show that the new peptide class has the potential to be a valuable addition to the treatment of diabetes.
Follicum has identified a new class of peptides that increase insulin secretion in several experimental models. Based on this, the company submitted a patent application in 2017 covering Follicum's peptides. The application has now reached the PCT phase and has received positive international review in a report from the European Patent Office (EPO) and has recently also been published (WO 2018/202870). In preclinical studies carried out during the late part of 2018, new valuable information has emerged, which is now subject to a new patent application. The potential of the peptides has been confirmed in both experimental studies of cells and in animals. The experimental studies are primarily conducted in collaboration with Follicum's network at Lund University. The new patent application, which significantly broadens the scope of protection and prolongs the life of Follicum's patent portfolio, is an important addition to the already wide patent protection of Follicum's diabetes project.
The next milestone in the diabetes project is to choose a drug candidate by the end of 2018/2019 and to subsequently advance this to clinical trials.
About Diabetes
Diabetes is rapidly increasing globally. The disease is characterized by poor blood sugar control due to defective insulin signaling, which causes serious sequelae such as cardiovascular disease, renal failure, obesity, blindness and diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetes as well as it’s accompanying illnesses represent a major burden, partly for the individual patient, but also for the entire health care system. There is thus an already large and growing global need for new therapies that address effective control of glucose levels in combination with preventive effects on the various diabetic complications. Follicum's strategy is to drive a well-developed project in the diabetes field that is attractive to global partners.
For further information, please contact:
Jan Alenfall – CEO, Follicum AB
Telephone: +46 46 19 21 97
Email: info@follicum.com
This information is information that Follicum is obliged to make public according to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was provided through the agency of the contact persons above, for publication on the 12th of November 2018.
About Follicum AB
Follicum is a biotech company focused on the discovery and development of peptide-based drugs. The primary focus is in hair growth stimulation, where Follicum has obtained very promising results with FOL-005 in a recently completed clinical trial. In diabetes, Follicums research has resulted in a new peptide class which significantly increases the release of insulin in pre-clinical models. The company was founded in 2011, and is based in Lund, Sweden. Follicum is listed on the Swedish small cap exchange Spotlight since 2014. www.follicum.com.
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