- Grant of Japanese Patent Expands Portfolio
That Also Includes United States, Europe and China -
LAVAL, QC, July 19, 2018 /CNW/ - BELLUS Health Inc. (TSX:
BLU) ("BELLUS Health" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical
development company advancing novel therapeutics for conditions
with high unmet medical need, today announced that the Japan Patent
Office has issued a decision to grant Japanese Patent No.
2015-555508, which grants claims covering the composition of matter
of BELLUS Health's lead drug candidate, BLU-5937, and related
imidazopyridine compounds, in addition to pharmaceutical
compositions comprising BLU-5937 and uses thereof. The patent has
an expiration date of 2034. With the grant of this new Japanese
patent, BLU-5937 has now obtained patent protection with claims
covering its composition of matter in all major pharmaceutical
markets, including the U.S., Europe, Japan
and China. Similar patent
applications are currently pending in other industrialized
nations.
"We believe BLU-5937 has the characteristics to be a best in
class P2X3 antagonist for chronic cough including an intellectual
property estate that affords broad composition of matter
protection, " said Roberto Bellini,
President and CEO of BELLUS Health. "We now have patent protection
in the most important pharmaceutical markets in the world, which is
an important milestone in realizing this potential."
About BLU-5937 for Chronic Cough
BLU-5937 is a potent, highly selective, orally bioavailable
small molecule antagonist of the P2X3 receptor, a clinically
validated target for chronic cough. BLU-5937 has the potential to
be a best-in-class therapeutic for chronic cough patients who do
not respond to current therapies.
On July 9, 2018, BELLUS Health
initiated the Phase 1 clinical study in healthy subjects for
BLU-5937 for the treatment of chronic cough, and results are
expected in the fourth quarter of 2018. Preclinical studies
demonstrated that BLU-5937 is a highly selective P2X3 antagonist
exhibiting a potent anti-tussive effect without affecting taste
perception and an excellent safety profile. In a guinea pig cough
model, BLU-5937 showed comparable anti-tussive efficacy to the
current leading P2X3 antagonist in development, Merck & Co's
gefapixant (also named AF-219 or MK-7264). In a rat taste model,
BLU-5937 was not associated with taste loss whereas, consistent
with clinical trial data previously presented by Merck & Co,
gefapixant led to significant taste loss.
About BELLUS Health (www.bellushealth.com)
BELLUS Health is a biopharmaceutical development company
advancing novel therapeutics for conditions with high unmet medical
need. Its pipeline of projects includes the Company's lead drug
candidate BLU-5937 for chronic cough and several other partnered
clinical-stage drug development programs. BLU-5937, a highly
selective P2X3 antagonist, has the potential to be a best-in-class
therapeutic for chronic cough patients who do not respond to
current therapies.
Chronic cough is a cough that lasts more than eight weeks and is
associated with significant adverse social, psychosocial and
physical effects on quality of life. A recent commercial assessment
performed by Torreya Insights on behalf of the Company concluded
that, in the United States alone,
more than 26 million adults have chronic cough and more than
2.6 million of these patients suffer from refractory chronic cough
lasting for more than a year.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release, other than
statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date
hereof, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Such
statements, based as they are on the current expectations of
management, inherently involve numerous important risks,
uncertainties and assumptions, known and unknown, many of which are
beyond BELLUS Health Inc.'s control. Such risks factors include but
are not limited to: the ability to expand and develop its project
pipeline, the ability to obtain financing, the impact of general
economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical
industry, changes in the regulatory environment in the
jurisdictions in which BELLUS Health Inc. does business, stock
market volatility, fluctuations in costs, changes to the
competitive environment due to consolidation, achievement of
forecasted burn rate, potential payments/outcomes in relation to
indemnity agreements and contingent value rights, achievement of
forecasted pre-clinical and clinical trial milestones and that
actual results may vary once the final and quality-controlled
verification of data and analyses has been completed. In addition,
the length of BELLUS Health Inc.'s drug candidates' development
process, their market size and commercial value, as well as the
sharing of proceeds between BELLUS Health Inc. and its potential
partners from potential future revenues, if any, are dependent upon
a number of factors. Consequently, actual future results and events
may differ materially from the anticipated results and events
expressed in the forward-looking statements. BELLUS Health Inc.
believes that expectations represented by forward-looking
statements are reasonable, yet there can be no assurance that such
expectations will prove to be correct. The reader should not place
undue reliance, if any, on any forward-looking statements included
in this news release. These forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date made, and BELLUS Health Inc. is under no obligation
and disavows any intention to update publicly or revise such
statements as a result of any new information, future event,
circumstances or otherwise, unless required by applicable
legislation or regulation. Please see BELLUS Health Inc.'s public
filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities,
including the Annual Information Form, for further risk factors
that might affect BELLUS Health Inc. and its business.
SOURCE BELLUS Health Inc.