Lorus Therapeutics Inc, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery, research and development of pharmaceutical products and technologies for the management of cancer, announced the allowance of an Australian patent for novel compounds from its small molecule programme.

The Australian patent provides broad protection for composition of a number of Lorus' small molecule drug candidates including LOR-220 and related compounds as well as Lorus' lead oncology small molecule LOR-253. This is the first patent allowance from Lorus' small molecule platform. Lorus currently has similar patents pending in several countries worldwide, as well as pending patents for anticancer uses of LOR-253.

Lorus is currently exploring the potential for developing LOR-220 as a novel antibacterial compound. LOR-253, a first-in-class anticancer compound, has completed preclinical development. An Investigational New Drug (IND) application for LOR-253 is being finalized for filing with the US FDA for a phase-I dose escalation trial in selected solid tumours.

"We're very pleased to receive this patent, which protects a range of drug candidates from our robust small molecule programme," said Dr Aiping Young, Lorus' president and CEO. "The Australian patent strengthens our IP position and gives us the chance to enter several important markets with these novel compounds."

LOR-220 is a novel small molecule that is active against multi-drug resistant Grampositive bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and other bacterial and fungal infections produced by important emerging pathogens.

LOR-253 is a small molecule compound that has shown selective and potent antitumour activity in a variety of human cancers, including colon cancer and nonsmall cell lung cancer, and has an excellent therapeutic window due to its low toxicity.