On April 20, 2020 MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), reported that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a pending patent application which covers MN-166 (ibudilast) for the treatment of glioblastoma (Press release, MediciNova, APR 20, 2020, https://investors.medicinova.com/news-releases/news-release-details/medicinova-receives-notice-allowance-second-patent-covering-mn [SID1234556466]). This new patent has improved therapeutic claims compared to the first patent which covers MN-166 (ibudilast) for the treatment of glioblastoma, which was granted last year, and has a later expiration date than the first patent.
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Once issued, the patent maturing from this allowed patent application is expected to expire no earlier than February 2039. The allowed claims cover a method of treating a patient diagnosed with glioblastoma or recurrent glioblastoma, wherein the patient expresses methylated MGMT (O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase), using MN-166 (ibudilast) in combination with one or more other therapeutic agents including temozolomide (TMZ), carmustine, bevacizumab, procarbazine, hydroxyurea, irinotecan, lomustine, nimotuzumab, sirolimus, mipsagargin, cabozantinib, onartuzumab, patupilone (epothilone B), and recombinant oncolytic poliovirus (PVS-RIPO). The allowed claims cover a wide range of doses of MN-166 (ibudilast) during an optionally repeating dosing cycle. The allowed claims also cover different types of glioblastoma including classical glioblastoma, proneural glioblastoma, mesenchymal glioblastoma, and neural glioblastoma.
Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, "We are very pleased to receive notice that this new patent will be granted as it offers better coverage than our first patent covering glioblastoma. We believe it could substantially increase the potential value of MN‑166 as we have an ongoing clinical trial of MN-166 in combination with temozolomide for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School. Results of the glioblastoma animal model study showed that median survival was longer in the group that received combination treatment with MN-166 plus temozolomide compared to the group that received the standard treatment of temozolomide alone, and this data was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting. Encouragingly, the FDA granted orphan-drug designation to MN-166 as adjunctive therapy to temozolomide for the treatment of glioblastoma based on this data."
About Glioblastoma
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer that often results in death during the first 15 months after diagnosis. Glioblastoma develops from glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), grows rapidly, and commonly spreads into nearby brain tissue. Glioblastoma is classified as Grade IV, the highest grade, in the World Health Organization (WHO) brain tumor grading system. The American Brain Tumor Association reports that glioblastoma represents about 15% of all primary brain tumors and approximately 10,000 cases of glioblastoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S. Despite decades of advancements in neuroimaging, neurosurgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, only modest improvements have been achieved and the prognosis has not improved for individuals diagnosed with glioblastoma. Median survival is about 11-15 months for adults with more aggressive glioblastoma (IDH-wildtype) who receive standard treatment of surgery, temozolomide, and radiation therapy.
About MN-166 (ibudilast)
MN-166 (ibudilast) is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable, small molecule macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) inhibitor and phosphodiesterase (PDE) -4 and -10 inhibitor that suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes neurotrophic factors. Our earlier human studies demonstrated significant reductions of serum MIF level after treatment with MN-166 (ibudilast). It also attenuates activated glial cells, which play a major role in certain neurological conditions. MN-166 (ibudilast)’s anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective actions have been demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies, which provide the rationale for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases such as glioblastoma (GBM), and substance abuse/addiction. MediciNova is developing MN-166 for ALS, progressive MS and other neurological conditions such as degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), glioblastoma, substance abuse/addiction, and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. MediciNova has a portfolio of patents which covers the use of MN-166 (ibudilast) to treat various diseases including ALS, progressive MS, and drug addiction.