NEWARK, Calif., Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Protagonist
Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTGX) today announced that two new U.S.
patents have been issued that further strengthen the intellectual
property protection for the company's novel peptide drug
candidates, PTG-100 and PTG-300.
The first patent, No. 9,809,623, covers methods of treating
inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with PTG-100, an orally stable
alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitor. PTG-100 was discovered
using Protagonist's proprietary technology platform and is
currently in Phase 2b testing in
patients with moderate-to-severe, active ulcerative colitis. The
new patent adds to previously granted U.S. patents No. 9,273,093
and 9,518,091, which also provide protection for the company's
alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitors, including PTG-100.
The second patent, No. 9,822,157, covers peptide analogues of
hepcidin, including PTG-300, and related pharmaceutical
compositions. PTG-300, the company's lead peptide hepcidin mimetic,
recently completed a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers.
Protagonist plans to initiate Phase 2 trials of PTG-300 in patients
with beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndrome during 2018.
"These new patents further strengthen the long-term intellectual
property protection for these clinical-stage assets, both of which
have emerged from our innovative peptide technology platform," said
Dinesh Patel, Ph.D., Protagonist
President and Chief Executive Officer.
About Protagonist Therapeutics
Protagonist Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company with a proprietary technology platform which is utilized to
discover and develop novel peptide-based drugs to address
significant unmet medical needs. Its primary focus is on developing
potential first-in-class, oral targeted therapy-based peptide drugs
that work by blocking biological pathways that are currently
targeted by marketed injectable antibody drugs. Protagonist's
initial lead peptide product candidates, PTG-100 and PTG-200, are
based on this approach, and the company believes these candidates
have the potential to transform the existing treatment paradigm for
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting primarily of
ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
PTG-100, a potential first-in-class oral peptide alpha-4-beta-7
integrin antagonist, is currently in a global Phase 2B clinical trial for the treatment of
moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. PTG-200, a potential
first-in-class oral Interleukin-23 receptor antagonist in
development for the treatment of IBD, initially Crohn's disease, is
currently being studied in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Protagonist
has entered into a worldwide agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc.
to co-develop and commercialize PTG-200 for all indications,
including IBD.
In addition to PTG-100 and PTG-200, the company is developing an
injectable hepcidin mimetic, PTG-300, for the potential treatment
of anemia in iron overload disorders, including rare diseases such
as beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. PTG-300 recently
completed a Phase 1 clinical trial.
Protagonist is headquartered in Newark, California with its pre-clinical and
clinical staff in California, and
discovery operations both in California and in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. For further
information, please visit http://www.protagonist-inc.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for
purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include
statements regarding our intentions or current expectations
concerning, among other things, the potential for our programs and
our intellectual property. In some cases, you can identify these
statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "will,"
"expect," or the negative or plural of these words or similar
expressions. Forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ
materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to,
our ability to adequately protect our intellectual
property. We discuss many of these risks in greater
detail under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in our quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of future performance, and our actual results of operations,
financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the
industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any
forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak
only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation
to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this
press release.
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SOURCE Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.