OncoZenge AB (publ) ("OncoZenge" or “the Company") today announces that it has entered the national and regional phase of its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application for BupiZenge™ in 17 jurisdictions. The filings were completed within the applicable 30-month PCT deadline and mark the next step in building out global patent protection for BupiZenge™ in support of the Company's commercialization strategy.
Background
With today's confirmation of national filings, the Company has acted on that strategy, submitting national and regional applications ahead of the 30-month statutory deadline. Once granted, protection is expected to extend to 2045, complementing OncoZenge's existing granted patents, which protect BupiZenge™ lozenges into 2032/33.
Filing jurisdictions
"The positive PCT opinion gave us a clear, well-founded basis for the scope of protection we could pursue. Taking that opinion into national and regional examination across these 17 markets in a single, coordinated filing round gives prospective licensees the certainty they need on the strength and duration of protection as they build their own business cases for BupiZenge™," said Marie Mannerlöf, PhD, Patent Attorney, CEO of Imariel AB and Head of Intellectual Property at OncoZenge.
Strategic rationale
The filings extend patent protection across OncoZenge's priority licensing markets ahead of BupiZenge's potential launch, pending conclusion of the ongoing Phase III trial and European regulatory approval.
Secured patent protection across these 17 markets is intended to support the due diligence and business case evaluations currently underway with prospective regional licensees, positioning the Company for efficient, partner-led launches in each territory following European approval.
"Securing this filing footprint now, ahead of our Phase III readout, is a deliberate step to make sure the IP foundation is in place before we finalize partnership discussions in these regions. It removes a key open question for licensees conducting due diligence and supports an efficient, coordinated launch of BupiZenge upon approval," said Stian Kildal, CEO of OncoZenge.