Summit Granted US Patent for Utrophin Modulator SMT C1100 in Treatment of DMD

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August 07, 2013 02:00 ET

Summit Therapeutics plc

Summit Therapeutics plc

Summit Corporation plc

('Summit' or 'the Company')

US PATENT GRANTED FOR UTROPHIN MODULATOR SMT C1100 IN TREATMENT OF DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Oxford, UK, 7 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 patent number 8,501,713 that protects the use of SMT C1100 in treating the fatal muscle wasting disease DMD.

The patent, entitled "Drug Combinations for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy," covers the combination use of SMT C1100, the small molecule utrophin modulator drug, with corticosteroids such as prednisolone and deflazacort.  It provides an exclusivity period until at least February 2029.

Corticosteroids are commonly used in patients to slow the progression of DMD.  Summit has shown in the widely used preclinical efficacy model that there is a significant benefit in using prednisolone in combination with SMT C1100.  Results from a preclinical fatigue study, analogous to the 6 minute walk distance test used in DMD patient trials, demonstrated that the combined treatment completely protected against fatigue with the treatment group able to travel three and half times the distance of the untreated group.  These data have been published in the peer reviewed scientific journal PLoS ONE (Ref: Tinsley et al, Volume 6, Issue 4, May 2011).

"The grant of this US patent covering the use of SMT C1100 in combination with steroids forms part of our broader estate protecting the intellectual property rights of our utrophin modulation programme for DMD," commented Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Summit.  "This patent estate provides Summit with a commercial advantage from which to exploit the promise of our utrophin modulation programme for the treatment of this devastating disease."

About DMD and Utrophin Modulation

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.

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).

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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.