Vaxon Biotech, a company specialized in anti-tumour immunotherapy, has been granted patent in Japan for Vbx-026, a new cancer vaccine for solid tumours.

This patent (JP application no 2012-502822) covers a series of optimized cryptic peptides to be used in the design of the Vbx-026. This patent gives Vaxon exclusive rights in Japan and raises its worldwide portfolio to 24 issued patents.

The patent will support the development of Vbx-026, a vaccine dedicated to the treatment of cancer patients expressing the HLA-A24 molecule. This molecule is widely expressed in the Asian population, mainly in Japan, with more than 40 per cent of the Japanese population expressing HLA-A24. The initiation of preclinical development of the Vbx-026 vaccine is planned for 2016.

“This new patent will strengthen our position in Japan, a promising market for the development of the Vbx-026 vaccine,” said Dr. Kostas Kosmatopoulos, chief executive officer of Vaxon Biotech. “With four cancer vaccines under development, ranging from lead optimization to phase II, we have built a strong patent portfolio and we now cover the three major HLA molecules, corresponding to around 80 per cent of cancer patients.”

Vaxon Biotech develops therapeutic vaccines against cancer, based on its proprietary technology of optimized cryptic peptides, which are protected by ten patent families. All vaccines developed by Vaxon target universal tumour antigens and therefore have wide-ranging applications in cancer treatment.

Vx-001 and Vx-006 are already in clinical trials (Vx-001 in an ongoing randomized phase II trial in eight European countries and Vx-006 in an ongoing phase I trial). Vbx-016 has successfully completed its preclinical development and is ready to enter clinical trials and Vbx-026 is at the final stage of lead optimization.

Vx-001 and Vx-006 can be used for the treatment of patients expressing HLA-A2, the most common HLA molecule in humans (40-45 per cent of the world population). Vx-001 and Vx-006 are fully protected by a total of 17 patents granted in Europe, the US, Canada, China and Japan. These patents belong to four patent families and cover peptide optimization technology, the products derived from this technology and their use. Six of these patents belong to INSERM/IGR and have been licensed to Vaxon Biotech, while the remaining 11 are Vaxon’s own property.

Vbx-016 can be used for the treatment of patients expressing HLA-B7, a common HLA molecule (25 per cent of the population). Vbx-016 is already protected by three patent families. Five patents are already granted in Europe, the US, China and South Korea. Additional patents are still under review. All these patents are Vaxon’s own property.

The global market for cancer vaccines is expected to grow to $4.3 billion (€3.8 billion) by 2019, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.3 per cent. Technological advancements, new product launches and unmet treatment needs are predicted to drive consistent growth in this market for the foreseeable future.