ENA Respiratory received notices of allowance for two US patents covering its innate immune modulators and their application in preventing COPD exacerbations.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Patent Allowances: ENA Respiratory received notices of allowance for two US patents covering its innate immune modulators and their application in preventing COPD exacerbations.
- Addressing Unmet Needs: Rhinovirus is the leading viral trigger for COPD complications, yet no licensed vaccines or antivirals currently exist to target the infection.
- Clinical Progress: The company is evaluating its dry powder nasal spray in an ongoing Phase II clinical study in the US to assess its impact on various respiratory viruses.
ENA Respiratory received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for two patent applications related to its Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) therapies, according to the company.
The allowances include a composition-of-matter patent for a series of TLR2 agonist compounds and a method-of-use patent for treating rhinovirus-mediated exacerbations of COPD.
Rhinovirus is the most commonly identified viral trigger of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), which is the primary driver of COPD morbidity and mortality. According to the company, respiratory viral infections are associated with up to 64% of exacerbation events, and rhinovirus accounts for the majority of virus-positive cases. In the US, COPD accounts for approximately 854,000 emergency department visits, 335,000 hospitalizations, and 142,000 deaths annually.
“These allowances further strengthen a portfolio that already provides broad protection for our INNA-051 program with potential exclusivity for INNA-051 out to at least 2042 and likely beyond,” said Christophe Demaison, PhD, chief executive officer of ENA Respiratory. “US 17/622,451 protects the composition of matter of our TLR2 agonist platform, and US 16/495,829 secures targeted method-of-use protection for INNA-051 as a preventive treatment for rhinovirus-mediated COPD exacerbations — a population facing enormous unmet need with no approved antiviral or vaccine.”
The company is currently evaluating the therapy in the Phase II “POSITS” study. The trial is assessing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of a once-weekly dry powder nasal spray over three months of treatment. Researchers are assessing the impact of the treatment on the incidence, duration, and severity of symptomatic infections caused by common respiratory viruses, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, and coronaviruses.
The new allowances bring the company’s total to 55 granted patents and allowed applications across global healthcare markets, including the US, Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. The portfolio includes claims for the composition of matter for INNA-051, various backup molecules, and formulations as part of a lifecycle management strategy. ENA Respiratory has an additional 39 pending applications in various jurisdictions to support its clinical development.
