Sep 25 2007
Insert Therapeutics, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Research Corporation, announced today the issuance of a patent covering its lead oncology product, IT-101. IT 101 is a conjugate of Insert’s proprietary drug delivery molecule, Cyclosert™, and the potent anti-cancer compound camptothecin. The newly-issued United States Patent No. 7,270,808 entitled “Cyclodextrin-based polymers for therapeutic delivery” covers Cyclosert-linked prodrugs, including camptothecin and camptothecin derivatives.
IT-101 is a nanoparticle therapeutic and has been in Phase I clinical trials since July 2006. In June 2007, interim Phase I data was published in the 2007 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Proceedings (Abstract ID 32638), and reported stable disease in several patients who completed the six-cycle treatment regimen.
“The granting of this patent, that covers conjugates of the Cyclosert™ delivery polymers with camptothecin as well as a large number of other therapeutics, is an important milestone in our path to becoming a multi-product therapeutics company,” said John Petrovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Insert. “It enables us to continue our plan to build a portfolio of novel nanoparticle therapeutics that will benefit patients with cancer and a wide range of other diseases and conditions.”