La Jolla Pharmaceutical Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent Covering Modified Pectin Compositions
May 31 2012 - 8:30AM
Marketwired
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (OTCQB: LJPC) (PINKSHEETS: LJPC)
(the "Company" and "La Jolla") announced today that the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent number
8,187,642 covering compositions of modified pectins. The patent
provides proprietary protection of multiple forms of modified
pectin molecules until 2025.
"We are pleased to receive this patent protection which broadens
and further extends our intellectual property position for modified
pectins," said Dr. George F. Tidmarsh, President and CEO of La
Jolla Pharmaceutical Company. "The issuance of this patent comes at
a strategically important time for us as we prepare to move forward
with clinical trials of our lead compound, GCS-100, in oncology,
kidney disease and organ transplant indications."
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is building a pipeline of drug
candidates based on modified citrus pectins, which are
polysaccharides chemically related to the pectins found in plant
cell walls. Modified citrus pectins have the ability to bind and
sequester galectin-3, over-expression of which has been implicated
in a number of human diseases including cancer and chronic organ
failure. The modified pectin compositions described in patent '642
may have the advantages of improved therapeutic potency, purity and
composition uniformity.
The Company's intellectual property portfolio includes two
additional patents (one issued and one pending) describing
manufacturing of modified pectins and one use patent (pending)
covering the method of reducing the rate of cancer growth by
treating with a galectin inhibitor.
About La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company La
Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is a biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to the development of treatments that significantly
improve outcomes in patients with life-threatening diseases.
GCS-100, the Company's product candidate, is a first-in-class
inhibitor of galectin-3, a novel molecular target implicated in
cancer and chronic organ failure.
Forward Looking Statement Safe Harbor This
document contains forward-looking statements as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements relate to future events or our future results of
operations. These statements are only predictions and involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause
actual results to be materially different from these
forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers not to
place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these risks,
uncertainties, and other factors are described in greater detail in
the Company's filings from time to time with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC), all of which are available free of
charge on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. These risks
include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the development
of GCS-100, the success and timing of future preclinical and
clinical studies of this compound, and potential indications for
which GCS-100 may be developed. Subsequent written and oral
forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to
persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their
entirety by the cautionary statements set forth in the Company's
reports filed with the SEC. The Company expressly disclaims any
intent to update any forward-looking statements.
Company Contact George F. Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D. President
& Chief Executive Officer La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (858)
452-6600 GTidmarsh@ljpc.com
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