Dimethaid to receive new European patents for immune regulation technology
TORONTO, July 17 /CNW/ - European examiners have notified Dimethaid
Research Inc. (TSX: DMX) that they intend to grant the company's wholly owned
subsidiary, OXO Chemie AG, additional patents for its immune regulating
technology in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The protection
will remain in force until October 6, 2018.
The new patents will apply to the technology platform that supports Oxo's
lead drug, WF10, extending European protection granted in 1992 to cover a much
broader range of disease applications. The document entitled, "use of a
chemically stabilized chlorite solution for inhibiting antigen-specific immune
response" deals with the treatment of medical conditions associated with
inappropriate or excessive antigen presentation - a crucial misstep in immune
dysfunction. Patent claims cover potential treatment for autoimmune disease,
organ transplant or graft rejection, lymphoma, and inflammation manifested as
hepatitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The chlorite molecule, which Oxo has been studying since the 1980s, has
three principal therapeutic objectives: blocking antigen presentation,
preventing the release of cytokines and the proliferation of stimulated T
cells, and inhibiting antigen-specific immune responses while stimulating
phagocytic activity.
Inappropriate immune response has been implicated in up to 80 different
autoimmune diseases. Conditions mentioned specifically in Oxo's European
patent claims include colitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease,
juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus
erythematosus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, psoriasis,
serum disease, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, Sjorgen
syndrome, spondylarthropathies, sarcoidosis, as well as autoimmune forms of
hemolysis, hepatitis, neutropenia, polyglandular disease, and thyroid disease.
Autoimmune diseases affect an estimated 5 percent of the total population in
Europe and North America.
In cases of organ transplant and tissue grafting, Oxo's patent points out
that typical treatment involves suppressing immune response with cytotoxic
chemicals. This can leave patients vulnerable to occult viral infections or
neoplastic disease of the lymphoid cells. Success is further limited by the
tolerance to these cytotoxic agents, which can also interfere with proper bone
marrow function. Preclinical research has shown that Oxo's chlorite matrix can
stimulate proliferation of hematopoeitic stem cells, suggesting benefits to
developing WF10 as an adjunct therapy.
Earlier patents already cover using Oxo's chlorite molecule as an
intravenous treatment for HIV infection. The new protection extends claims
governing chronic inflammation - characterized by inappropriate macrophage
activation - to include hepatitis B and C, as well as chronic hepatitis and
obstructive pulmonary disease.
As a final area, the patent document describes possible applications in
treating follicular lymphoma, a common and universally fatal disease,
responsible for some 19,000 deaths annually in the US. Parts of the lymphoma
process are believed to involve improper antigen processing or presentation,
again suggesting a possible role for Oxo's chlorite molecule in therapy. The
latest European claims include using the molecule to inhibit antigen-specific
immune response in cases of lymphoproliferative disease, specifically
lymphoma.
Previous European patents, granted to OXO Chemie AG between 1992 and
1997, cover the use of its chlorite molecule as an intravenous treatment for
tumor-related disease, sepsis, bone marrow regulation and HIV infection.
About OXO Chemie AG
OXO Chemie AG is a Swiss-based, life sciences company focused on the
development of immune regulating technology. A wholly owned subsidiary of
Dimethaid Research Inc., the company conducts preclinical and clinical
research in Europe and Thailand, and manufacturers tetrachlorodecaoxygen
(TCDO) for use as an active chemical agent in therapeutic formulations. The
company's lead product is an intravenous solution known as WF10.
About Dimethaid Research Inc.
Dimethaid Research Inc. is a publicly traded, Canadian, specialty
pharmaceutical company headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with manufacturing
facilities in Varennes, Québec and Wanzleben, Germany. The company develops
and commercializes targeted therapeutic drugs designed to produce minimal side
effects. Dimethaid's two technology platforms focus on immune system
regulation and transcellular drug delivery. Products are aimed at expanding
treatment options in oncology, immunology, rheumatology and the therapeutic
management of chronic viral infections. For more information, please visit
www.dimethaid.com. |
