FLAG Announces Patent Issuance for Bi Specific FTAC Compounds

RALEIGH, N.C. - March 11, 2015 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C., March 10, 2015 – FLAG Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent 8,952,019 entitled “Methods of Using Selective Chemotherapeutic Agents for Targeting Tumor Cells” that will provide protection until September 6, 2033.   This patent covers a method for treating breast and ovarian tumors by selectively delivering drugs to unique folate receptor subsets expressed on cancer cells.  This brings FLAG’s IP portfolio to 29 issued and 25 filed patents for their oncology pipeline.

"On the heels of our announcement about the issuance of the composition of matter patent on our lead bi-specific anti-angiogenic and antitubulin (AA/AT) compound, FLAG is thrilled to get this news on patent coverage for our folate targeting program.  First generation antifolates were valuable drugs for many years and second generation pemetrexed improved upon this foundation but FLAG is pursuing drugs that are truly selective for druggable receptors found only on cancer cells that will eliminate the collateral damage that has plagued this class of drugs.” said Frank Sorgi, president and chief executive officer, FLAG Therapeutics.

FLAG’s bi-specific folate targeted anti-cancer (FTAC) compounds target folate receptor subsets that are over-expressed on cancer cells and are not found on normal cells.  Traditional cancer drugs indiscriminately kill cells as they divide.  While rapidly dividing cancer cells are the target for the chemotherapeutic agents, fast dividing normal cells (blood cells, mucosal linings, and hair follicles) incur significant collateral damage causing many of devastating, and often dose-limiting, side effects.  FTAC compounds are water-soluble small molecules engineered to selectively bind to targeted cancer cells to avoid harming healthy cells.  FTAC compounds are effective without requiring a delivery system, an unpredictable linker, or antibody technologies.

About FLAG Therapeutics

FLAG Therapeutics is an RTP, North Carolina based company founded on breakthrough research that has yielded two novel classes of small-molecule, water-soluble oncology drugs.  Their compounds have well elucidated mechanisms of action against clinically validated targets.  In preclinical models, FLAG’s lead compounds have demonstrated statistically significant superiority in the appropriate disease models vs. approved comparator drugs that exceed $5 billion in sales.  Each program has a late-stage preclinical lead that is one year from IND filing.  To learn more about FLAG Therapeutics, please visit www.flagtherapeutics.com.  Information on FLAG Therapeutics’ website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

Contacts

FLAG Therapeutics, Inc.
Frank L. Sorgi, PhD
President and CEO
919-294-6472
frank.sorgi@flagtherapeutics.com