OXiGENE, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the treatment of cancer, announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted it a patent (US Patent No. 9,040,500) related to the use of OXi4503 for the treatment of myeloid neoplasms, including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

"The granting of this US patent is a notable achievement for OXiGENE and strengthens our program in AML, a potential orphan indication for which there is a great unmet need," said Bill Schwieterman, M.D., OXiGENE's president and CEO. "We are looking forward to starting a new company-sponsored Phase 1/2 clinical study of OXi4503 for this indication later this year, as we work to advance and strengthen our clinical pipeline."

OXi4503 (combretastatin A1 di-phosphate) is a dual mechanism vascular disrupting agent (VDA) that has been observed to block and destroy tumour vasculature, resulting in extensive tumour cell death and necrosis. OXi4503 combines a VDA mechanism with cytotoxic activity. It is currently being evaluated in a phase 1 investigator-sponsored study at the University of Florida in patients with relapsed and refractory AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The study is also sponsored in part by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Therapy Acceleration Programme. OXiGENE is planning to initiate a phase 1/2 trial of OXi4503 in patients with AML and MDS later this year.