Verona Pharma Granted Key EU Patent for Late-stage COPD Clinical Candidate Ensifentrine

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA, AIM:VRP) has announced that the European Patent Office granted another key patent regarding its lead development candidate, ensifentrine.

As quoted in the press release:

The patent provides intellectual property protection throughout Europe out to 2035 for a suspension formulation of ensifentrine (RPL554) suitable for nebulized administration. A corresponding patent has already issued in the US.

Ensifentrine is in Phase 2b clinical trials for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This first-in-class inhaled therapy has both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory activity in a single agent and has the potential to address a major unmet need in COPD.

This patent further strengthens Verona Pharma’s intellectual property estate, which provides exclusivity for ensifentrine products in key markets such as the US and Europe out to 2035. Currently, the patent estate includes eight issued US patents and seven European patents, which have been validated in a wide range of countries throughout Europe, as well as patents in other commercially important jurisdictions such as China and Japan. These patents cover a range of subject matter including formulations, solid forms and methods of using ensifentrine for the treatment of respiratory disorders. In addition to the granted patents, over 50 applications are pending, and, if granted, could potentially extend the patent protection even further.

“The granting of this important patent adds a further layer of protection to ensifentrine as a novel potential treatment for COPD,” said Jan-Anders Karlsson, PhD, CEO of Verona Pharma. “We remain focused on completing the final Phase 2b clinical trials with ensifentrine before advancing into Phase 3 in 2020. Ensifentrine has been administered to over 800 people and has generated strong efficacy data and been well tolerated. We believe this first-in-class dual PD3 and PD4 inhibitor can address a clear unmet medical need in COPD and has significant commercial potential.”

Click here to read the full press release.