The company announces that a new method of use patent for the drug candidate cobitolimod has been granted by the Japan Patent Office.

The patent provides additional protection for the use of certain dosage regimens of cobitolimod for treating chronic active ulcerative colitis in patients that are not responding or are intolerant to anti-inflammatory therapy. The patent, entitled Method for prevention of colectomy (patent number 6193248), was filed in 2012 and will provide an exclusivity period until November 2032, with the possibility of up to 5 years term extension after market approval.

“We are very pleased with the granting of this patent by the Japan Patent Office, which again confirms that cobitolimod is a unique and innovative asset for treating ulcerative colitis,” said Peter Zerhouni, CEO of InDex Pharmaceuticals. “This patent further strengthens and extends our intellectual property position for cobitolimod in Japan, which is the second largest individual pharmaceutical market in the world.”

A corresponding patent was granted in the US in November 2016, and corresponding patent applications have also been filed in Europe and Canada and are being diligently prosecuted to grant.