On August 18, 2015 Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: PVCT, www.pvct.com), a clinical-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company ("Provectus"), reported that it has received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Patent number 9,107,887 (Press release, Provectus Pharmaceuticals, AUG 18, 2015, http://www.pvct.com/pressrelease.html?article=20150818.1 [SID:1234507294]). The patent protects the use of PV-10 in combination with certain other types of drugs in the treatment of melanoma and cancers of the liver.
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Specifically, the patent covers the use of PV-10 in combination with systemic inhibitors of immune system down-regulation, such as anti-CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies, along with enhancers of immune system up-regulation, such as IL-2 and interferon-gamma. Pre-clinical testing of PV-10 used in combination with these important classes of drugs demonstrated potential importance for treatment of advanced cancers.
Provectus believes that the intellectual property covered by the patent will aid it in realizing financial rewards if clinical research demonstrates that PV-10 used in combination with one or more of these classes of drugs improves patient outcomes.
Dr. Eric Wachter, CTO of Provectus, said, "This is a significant milestone in the development of PV-10 as an anti-cancer agent, and builds on our research into PV-10 used on its own. Medical science and our own preliminary studies suggest that it may benefit patients when used in conjunction with these other drugs."
Peter Culpepper, CFO and COO of Provectus, noted, as just one example, a poster presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) [SITC] 29th Annual Meeting in November 2014. The poster, presented by Dr. Shari Pilon-Thomas of the Moffitt Cancer Center, titled "Efficacy of Intralesional Injection with PV-10 in Combination with Co-Inhibitory Blockade in a Murine Model of Melanoma," showed that combination of PV-10 with anti-CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies led to improved tumor response and enhanced anti-tumor immunity of T-cells.
Pfizer Inc. is a joint owner of the patent.