Summit Therapeutics Granted Key Patent by European Patent Office for Utrophin Modulator SMT C1100 in the Treatment of DMD

Summit Therapeutics plc

, the drug discovery and development company advancing therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy ('DMD') and C. difficile infection, announces that the European Patent Office ('EPO') has granted a composition of matter patent for the small molecule utrophin modulator SMT C1100 and that the period of opposition for this patent has now expired with no opposition having been filed. The patent protects SMT C1100 and its use in the treatment of the fatal muscle wasting disease DMD. "This is a cornerstone patent for SMT C1100, and its grant and emergence from the opposition period in a major commercial market, represents a crucial part in our strategy for advancing this promising utrophin modulator therapy for DMD," commented Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Summit. "The grant of this European patent, combined with its grant in other major territories including the United States and Japan, ensures strong intellectual property protection for this investigational drug that has the potential to improve the lives of all patients affected by DMD." The patent (European patent number 1986633) is entitled "Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy" and will provide a period of exclusivity for SMT C1100 through until 2027, with the possibility of a longer effective term subject to obtaining a Supplementary Protection Certificate on marketing approval. The patent has also been validated in all available contracting states to the European Patent Convention, and so is now in force in all major European states including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. SMT C1100 is the Company's most advanced utrophin modulator and forms part of the Company's wider pipeline of utrophin based therapies that are in development. SMT C1100 is currently in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with DMD with top line results expected to be reported during Q3 2015.