Ophthalmic disease therapies company, Opthea
(ASX:OPT) has today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) intends to grant a patent covering one of Opthea's OPT-302 treatments ( a soluble form of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR)-3 that binds and inhibits the activity of VEGF-C and VEGF-D.)
The European patent will cover both the OPT-302 product and compositions containing OPT-302 for use in treating disorders including eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).
The patent term will extend to 13 February 2034. Patents covering OPT302 and extending out to 2034 have now been granted in the U.S.A., Japan, Australia, South Africa and Singapore and applications have been accepted for grant by the EPO, in Malaysia and in Russia.
Opthea says obtaining patent protection for OPT-302 in Europe is key to its business strategy and this decision by the European Patent Office further reinforces their already strong IP position.
Shares in Opthea
(ASX:OPT) are trading 0.6 per cent higher at 83 cents.