SenzaGen granted additional patent in Asia
SenzaGen today announced that the South Korean Patent Office (KIPO) has approved SenzaGen's patent application for GARD™skin. The new patent gives SenzaGen a strong intellectual property position in several strategically important markets.
The granted patent is valid until October 2031 and protects the genetic signature that forms the basis of SenzaGen's animal-free test for whether chemicals can cause skin allergies. South Korea is a key market in Asia with expected strong growth following a ban on animal testing on cosmetic products that started in 2017.
“For a technology-driven company, it is of the utmost importance that we continuously develop our patent strategy and safeguard our most valuable assets. The patent for GARD™skin protects the method that SenzaGen's business is built on and strengthens our long-term and global competitiveness”, says Anki Malmborg Hager, CEO of SenzaGen.
SenzaGen has a well-developed IP strategy to protect current and future innovations in important markets where the company markets or plans to market its tests. Market data show that the need for alternative testing methods is growing around the world as bans to use animals are introduced in more countries, thus boosting the market potential of SenzaGen's animal-free testing method. Already granted in Europe, China and Hong Kong, patent applications for GARD™skin are currently being processed by the patent authorities in countries where animal testing is prohibited or where a ban is expected to be introduced, including the United States, Canada and India. In addition, the patent portfolio includes several ongoing patent applications for other GARD® products.
SenzaGen's GARD™ product portfolio consists of a set of allergy tests with industry leading performance and accuracy. The tests are performed on human cells in test tubes (in vitro) in combination with artificial intelligence and replace animal experiments for the cosmetics, chemical and pharmaceutical industries for their tests on whether chemical substances in products can be allergenic.
For more information, please contact:
Anki Malmborg Hager, CEO, SenzaGen AB
Email: anki.malmborg.hager@senzagen.com | Telephone: +46 768 284822
Tina Dackemark Lawesson, Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Email: tina.lawesson@senzagen.com | Telephone: +46 708 202944
This information is information that SenzaGen is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the contact person set out above on March 6, 2019, at 13.30.
About GARD®
GARD™ consists of a group of tests for analyzing chemicals' ability to start an allergic reaction in humans. By analyzing hundreds of markers, GARD™ generates large amounts of data and delivers results with over 90 percent accuracy. This can be compared to today's standard method - tests on mice - which only achieves 70-75 percent precision. SenzaGen's test can also quantify the allergenic potential of a chemical substance.
About SenzaGen
SenzaGen makes it possible to replace animal experiments with in vitro genetic testing to determine the allergenicity of the chemicals we come into contact with in our daily lives, such as for example in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food products and dyes. The company's patented tests are the most reliable on the market and provide more information than traditional evaluation methods. The tests are sold via license laboratories (CRO) and distributors, and via the headquarters in Lund and the sales office in the US. Over the next few years the company will expand geographically, make alliances with more distribution partners and launch further unique tests. SenzaGen has its headquarters in Lund in Sweden and a subsidiary in the USA. For more information visit www.senzagen.com.
SenzaGen AB is listed on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm (ticker: SENZA) and FNCA Sweden AB, +46(0)8-528 00 399 info@fnca.se, is the company’s Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit www.senzagen.com.
