Arecor strengthens the patent portfolio of its formulation technology

Notification of an ‘intention to grant’ a patent protecting Arecor’s novel approach to enabling stable liquid adenovirus formulations has been received from both the European and US patent offices.

Arecor Ltd, the UK-based leading formulation technology company, focused on developing superior biopharmaceuticals via the innovative reformulation of proteins and peptides enabling the improved treatment of diabetes and other conditions, is pleased to announce that the Company has received notification from both the European and US Patent Offices of their intention to grant Arecor patent protection for the Company’s novel approach to enabling stable liquid adenovirus formulations. 

Adenovirus vectors or virus materials that can be utilised to deliver new genes safely into the cells of the human body to trigger a therapeutic effect, are becoming increasingly important in the development of novel vaccine and gene therapy products. Unfortunately, adenovirus vectors are often very labile or changeable in aqueous compositions and they can lose potency very rapidly during storage.  This loss of potency significantly limits their use in commercial products.  Application of Arecor’s proprietary technology however overcomes the stability issues and enables the development of viable adenovirus-based therapies for a variety of conditions.

“We are delighted to announce this ‘intention to grant’ of a patent that protects our novel adenovirus stabilisation approach. This is an important addition to our growing patent portfolio, which further strengthens our position as a world leader in the formulation of superior biotherapeutics and vaccines”, said Dr Jan Jezek, Chief Scientific Officer at Arecor.  “Our novel technology that enables the development of adenovirus vectors with superior stability is a good example of Arecor’s capability to expand into new, important and fast-developing areas”.

Arecor has developed a novel proprietary approach to formulating adenovirus products which ensures their stability during long-term storage, including storage outside the cold chain.  Adenovirus products are used therapeutically for the treatment of conditions such as cancer or they can be used as vaccines to prevent infections such as HIV or tuberculosis.

Patent Portfolio

Arecor’s technology is protected by 20 patent families, including 22 granted patents, and the intention to grant of the adenovirus stabilisation patents is an important addition to an already impressive portfolio.  Arecor has been exploiting its technology in partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, successfully developing superior product profiles, including stable high-concentration antibodies with low viscosity, reformulations of lyophilised or freeze-dried products into stable liquids or stable vaccines that can be used outside the cold chain.  Arecor’s technology has been shown numerous times to succeed where other approaches fail.  The successful development of a heat-stable formulation of *Hepatitis B vaccine for use in hot climatic zones, is one such example of the utility of the technology.

*(For further info, please see: Jezek et al. A heat-stable hepatitis B vaccine formulation. Human Vaccines 5(8), 529-535, 2009; Jones Braun et al. Characterization of a thermostable hepatitis B vaccine formulation. Vaccine 27, 4609-4614, 2009.)

For more information, please contact: Arecor Limited

 About Arecor

Arecor is a Cambridge, UK-based formulation technology company focussed on delivering superior biopharmaceuticals and vaccines via the application of its proprietary formulation technology, that would otherwise not be achievable. Its technology consists of a number of proprietary formulation platforms, each based on a unique understanding of how formulation ingredients affect the stability of proteins and other therapeutic materials. 

Using state-of-the-art computational approaches together with a number of proprietary formulation platforms, unique combinations of formulation ingredients are selected that ensure excellent product stability in liquid form.



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