Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced issuance of a US patent covering its novel mTOR inhibitors, including its lead cancer product candidate - AP23573 - and uses of these compounds to treat various cancers and to prevent reblockage at sites of vascular injury following stent-assisted angioplasty. US Patent No. 7,091,213 provides coverage through the year 2023.

Based on positive phase 2 efficacy data announced earlier this year at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, AP23573 is set to enter a global Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with advanced sarcomas.

This new patent covers AP23573 itself and a family of small-molecule compounds structurally related to AP23573, as well as important medical uses of these compounds, such as treatment of various cancers including, for example, soft-tissue and bone sarcomas; prostate, breast, pancreatic, brain, lung and colon cancers; and lymphomas and leukaemia's. Related patent applications are pending in the U.S. and major markets outside the US.

"This newly issued patent further strengthens our valuable intellectual property portfolio and highlights the novelty of our internally discovered mTOR inhibitor," said Harvey J. Berger, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Ariad. "Issuance of this patent will support our partnering efforts for AP23573 for use in cancer and drug-eluting stents."

Ariad's lead product candidate, AP23573, is a novel small-molecule inhibitor of the protein mTOR, a "master switch" in cancer cells. Blocking mTOR creates a starvation-like effect in cancer cells by interfering with cell growth, division, metabolism, and angiogenesis. AP23573 is currently in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in patients with solid tumours and haematologic cancers. AP23573 has been designated both as a fast-track product and an orphan drug by the US Food and Drug Administration and as an orphan drug by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of soft-tissue and bone sarcomas. In addition to its program in oncology, ARIAD is collaborating with Medinol Ltd to develop stents and other medical devices that deliver AP23573 to prevent reblockage at sites of vascular injury following stent-assisted angioplasty.