Vicore further strengthens patent protection for C21

Vicore further strengthens patent protection for C21

Stockholm, June 7, 2023 – Vicore Pharma Holding AB (STO: VICO) (“Vicore”) today announces that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted Vicore’s patent protecting an improved C21 formulation based on enteric coated compositions. The drug candidate C21 is currently in a phase 2a trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The European patent protection:

• relates to any form of enteric coating of C21, and

• is not limited to any specific disease

The EPO today granted European Patent No. EP 4 138 789 B1 entitled “New Delayed Release Composition for Peroral Administration”, relating to a new invention that fundamentally improves the oral uptake of C21. The patent protects any form of enteric coating of C21 in Europe and is expected to last at least until 2041. The equivalent US patent was recently granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and corresponding patent applications have been filed in multiple other jurisdictions, including China and Japan.

Carl-Johan Dalsgaard, CEO of Vicore comments “We are very pleased that this patent, providing strong protection for C21 in all diseases, has now been granted in both Europe and in the US”. “The European IPF market alone represents a large opportunity with 100,000 diagnosed patients. The combined US and European IPF market represent $3bn in annual sales. This patent also allows us to explore wider pulmonary fibrosis indications outside IPF as well as pulmonary hypertension.”

In an interim analysis of the ongoing phase 2a trial, presented at ATS 2023 and in a subsequent webcast, C21 has shown unmatched effects by increasing lung capacity in patients with IPF, a devastating disease which, if untreated, can result in a steady decline in lung capacity and a typical life expectancy of three to five years after diagnosis. C21, an angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist (ATRAG), acts by preventing the scarring process characteristic of IPF, thereby restoring alveolar integrity and improving lung function.

For further information, please contact:
Vicore Pharma
Carl-Johan Dalsgaard, CEO
Phone: +46 70 975 98 63
E-mail: carl-johan.dalsgaard@vicorepharma.com