IMMUTEP GRANTED AUSTRALIAN PATENT FOR EFTILAGIMOD ALPHA, A SOLUBLE LAG-3 PROTEIN, IN COMBINATION WITH A PD-1 PATHWAY INHIBITOR

On February 11, 2022 Immutep Limited (ASX: IMM; NASDAQ: IMMP) ("Immutep" or "the Company"), a biotechnology company developing novel LAG-3 related immunotherapy treatments for cancer and autoimmune disease, reported the grant of a new patent (number 2016205983) entitled "Combined Preparations for the Treatment of Cancer or Infection" by the Australian Patent Office (Press release, Immutep, FEB 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234608966]).

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This new Australian patent follows the grant of the corresponding European, United States and Chinese patents announced in 2018 through 2021.

The claims of the new patent protect Immutep’s intellectual property relating to combined therapeutic preparations comprising (a) its lead active immunotherapy candidate eftilagimod alpha ("efti" or "IMP321"), which is a LAG-3 fusion protein (LAG-3Ig), and (b) an anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibody. In addition to broader style claims, the granted claims include narrower claims drawn to specific combinations of efti with pembrolizumab, nivolumab, avelumab, durvalumab or atezolizumab, for example. The claims are also directed to related methods of use in the treatment of cancer.

The patent expiry date is 8 January 2036.

Immutep CEO, Marc Voigt, noted: "We continue to make progress in protecting efti, which is a unique biomolecule. The LAG-3 / MHC class II immune control mechanism has attracted significant interest from the medical and investment communities in recent weeks following publication of Phase III clinical data by the pharma industry in a very prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal. With our exclusive focus on this mechanism and four candidates under development, we continue to be well placed to make an important contribution to this exciting field. 2022 promises to be a productive year."