SEATTLE, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Trubion
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRBN), today announced that the
Board of Appeal for the European Patent Office (EPO) has upheld the
Opposition Division's original decision (announced Sept. 11, 2008) to revoke Genentech and Biogen
Idec's European Patent 1176981, generally directed to the use of an
anti-CD20 antibody for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The revocation of the patent claims as originally granted is now
final.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090320/TRUBIONLOGO)
On Aug. 8, 2006, Trubion filed an
opposition to European Patent 1176981 raising objections as to its
validity. Subsequent to the submission of Trubion's opposition,
several other parties filed oppositions to the Genentech patent,
including MedImmune Inc., Genmab A/S, Centocor Inc., Glaxo Group
Ltd., Merck Serono S.A, and Wyeth (now Pfizer). On Sept. 11, 2008, Trubion announced that the
Opposition Division of the EPO had revoked the European patent in
its entirety. On Feb. 19, 2009,
Genentech and Biogen Idec appealed the decision. In addition to its
opposition, Glaxo Group Ltd. filed an action with the United
Kingdom High Court to revoke the U.K. counterpart of European
Patent 1176981, and on May 19, 2008,
the U.K. counterpart was revoked by court order.
The Board of Appeal, presiding in oral proceedings on
June 1, 2010, upheld the original
revocation ruling by the Opposition Division citing that the patent
as granted did not meet the requirements for patentability. No
further appeals can be made with regard to the revoked claims, but
Genentech and Biogen Idec can pursue a claim limited to the use of
rituximab in combination with methotrexate to treat RA. The Board
of Appeal sent this claim down to the Opposition Division to assess
patentability.
"Today's decision by the Board of Appeal is important not only
for Trubion but also for patients who rely on companies like ours
to innovate and develop more effective, more convenient and safer
therapies," said Kathleen Deeley,
senior vice president and general counsel at Trubion.
About Trubion
Trubion is a biopharmaceutical company that is creating a
pipeline of novel protein therapeutic product candidates to treat
autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and cancer. The Company's
mission is to develop a variety of first-in-class and best-in-class
product candidates, customized for optimal safety, efficacy and
convenience that it believes may offer improved patient
experiences. Trubion's current product candidates are novel
single-chain protein, or SMIP, therapeutics, and are designed using
its custom drug assembly technology. Trubion's product pipeline
includes CD20-directed SMIP therapeutics such as TRU-015 and
SBI-087 for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, developed under
the Company's Pfizer collaboration. Trubion's product pipeline also
includes TRU-016, a novel CD37-targeted therapy for the treatment
of B-cell malignancies developed under the Company's Facet
collaboration. In addition to Trubion's current clinical stage
product pipeline, the Company is also developing its multi-specific
SCORPION technology, both for targeting cell-surface molecules as
well as simultaneously neutralizing soluble ligands. More
information is available in the investors section of Trubion's
website: http://investors.trubion.com/index.cfm.
TRBN-G
Contact:
|
|
Jim DeNike
|
|
Senior Director,
Corporate Communications
|
|
Trubion
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
|
|
(206)
838-0500
|
|
jdenike@trubion.com
|
|
http://www.trubion.com
|
|
|
|
Waggener Edstrom
Worldwide Healthcare
|
|
Jenny
Moede
|
|
(503)
443-7507
|
|
jmoede@waggeneredstrom.com
|
|
|
SOURCE Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.