Lorus Therapeutics Inc announced that a patent was allowed by the Mexican Patent Office to protect the company's intellectual property involving its lead immunotherapy drug, Virulizin. The patent titled, 'Immunomodulator Composition, Process for Preparation, Pharmaceutical Compositions that Contain it and Uses of Same,' protects both the composition and use of Virulizin for the treatment of cancer.

"This recent patent allowance fortifies our intellectual property position in Mexico, where Virulizin is approved for the treatment of malignant melanoma," said Dr. Jim Wright, CEO, Lorus. "The allowance is critically important to our strategic plan for maximizing the value of Virulizin in its first commercial marketplace."

Lorus and Mayne Pharma have entered into an exclusive seven-year distribution agreement for Mexico. Under the terms of the agreement, Lorus receives royalties from the sales of Virulizin and is responsible for manufacturing the drug. Mayne Pharma recently exercised its option for similar agreements for Brazil and Argentina.

Virulizin has been shown to be a non-toxic immunotherapy that recruits natural killer cells, monocytes and macrophages, to attack tumor cells. In pre-clinical and clinical studies, Virulizin has proven to be a well tolerated and an effective drug capable of antitumor activity in a range of cancer types, such as malignant melanoma and pancreatic cancer.