Summit Granted Key Composition of Matter Patent for SMT C1100 in the Treatment of DMD

Accessibility: Skip TopNav

August 28, 2013 02:00 ET

Summit Therapeutics plc

Summit Therapeutics plc

Summit Corporation plc

('Summit' or 'the Company')

SUMMIT GRANTED KEY COMPOSITION OF MATTER PATENT FOR UTROPHIN MODULATOR SMT C1100 IN THE TREATMENT OF DMD

Oxford, UK, 28 August 2013 - Summit (AIM: SUMM), a drug discovery and development company advancing therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ('DMD') and C. difficile infection, announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a composition of matter patent that protects SMT C1100 and its use in the treatment of the fatal muscle wasting disease DMD.

United States Patent number 8,518,980 is entitled "Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy" and will provide a period of exclusivity for the small molecule utrophin modulator SMT C1100 through at least November 2028.

"The grant of this cornerstone patent for SMT C1100 in a key commercial market represents a critical component in our strategy for advancing this promising utrophin modulator in the treatment of DMD," commented Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Summit.  "Together with the recently issued US patent covering the use of SMT C1100 in combination with steroids, the intellectual property estate protecting this potential life-changing drug has been significantly strengthened as we prepare to start patient clinical trials during the second half of this year."

The patent "Drug Combinations for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy" was recently issued by the US Patent and Trademark Officer and covers the use of SMT C1100 in combination with steroids such as prednisolone and deflazacort (US Patent number 8,501,713).

About DMD and SMT C1100

DMD is a progressive muscle wasting disease that affects around 1,500 boys and young men in the UK. It is caused by different genetic faults in the gene that encodes dystrophin, a protein that is essential for the healthy function of muscles.  There is no cure and life expectancy is around the mid-twenties.  Utrophin protein is the functional equivalent of dystrophin and non-clinical studies have shown it can substitute for dystrophin to maintain the healthy function of skeletal and cardiac muscle.  Utrophin modulation has the potential to slow down or even stop the progression of DMD regardless of the dystrophin mutation.  Importantly it is also expected to be complementary to other DMD therapeutic approaches in development.  SMT C1100, an orally administered small molecule, is Summit's most advanced utrophin modulator and it is expected to start clinical trials in DMD patients during the second half of 2013.

Summit is an Oxford, UK based drug discovery and development Company targeting high-value areas of unmet medical need including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and C. difficile infection.  Summit is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol SUMM. Further information is available at www.summitplc.com and follow Summit on Twitter (@summitplc).

For more information, please contact:

Forward Looking Statements

This announcement contains "forward-looking statements", including, but not limited to, statements about the discovery, development and commercialisation of programme assets. These forward-looking statements are statements based on the Company's current intentions, beliefs and expectations, which include, among other things, the Company's results of operations, financial condition, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.  Forward-looking statements and information by their nature involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These include but are not limited to: adverse results in clinical or preclinical development studies; delays in obtaining regulatory approval; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; being unable to secure partnership agreements to develop and commercialise programme assets; being unable to secure the necessary funding to conduct any proposed research and development studies; and the ability to retain and recruit key personnel.  The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained in this announcement to reflect any changes in expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by applicable law.