Kinarus Receives USPTO Notice of Allowance for Lead Therapeutic Candidate KIN001

MEDIA RELEASE

• Method-of-use-patent covers KIN001 in ophthalmic diseases
• Further strengthens already granted KIN001 US composition of matter patent

Basel, Switzerland, 22 November 2022. Kinarus Therapeutics Holding AG (SIX: KNRS) (Kinarus), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics to treat viral, respiratory, and ophthalmic diseases, announced today the receipt of a Notice of Allowability from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for US Patent Application No. 16/500,504 Methods of preventing or treating Ophthalmic Diseases covering its therapeutic candidate KIN001 in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The method of use patent is on top of granted US Patent No. 11285155 that protects the KIN001 pharmaceutical combination of pamapimod and pioglitazone until at least 2037. The composition of matter protection afforded by Patent No. 11285155 is irrespective of therapeutic indication.

Kinarus is currently developing KIN001 as an oral treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and Covid-19. 

Dr Alexander Bausch, Kinarus CEO, commented: This USPTO allowance, together with the prior intellectual property secured by Kinarus in the US, EP, Australia, Eurasia, China, ARIPO and other countries, provides an even more secure IP protection for KIN001 in wet AMD and other retinal diseases. The positioning of KIN001 as an oral therapy in the ophthalmology space is unique. Our ambition is that KIN001 will be the first oral therapy used in combination with anti-VEGF therapies to stop progression of wet AMD and other retinal diseases in our aging population.

KIN001-AMD Phase 2 trial. KIN001 is under development as an oral therapy complementing current anti-VEGF drugs with the goal to extend the treatment interval between ocular injections. Kinarus has received regulatory approval to conduct a one-year Phase 2 clinical study in Switzerland and Germany.

KIN001 is a combination of two active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs): pamapimod and pioglitazone. Pamapimod is a highly selective clinical stage small molecule inhibitor of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway. Kinarus has found that combining pamapimod with pioglitazone, a safe and well-tolerated marketed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, leads to synergistic efficacy and increased duration of action in preclinical models of wet AMD, IPF and other fibrotic and inflammatory diseases.

Kinarus Therapeutics Holding AG (www.kinarus.com) was founded in 2017 by experienced pharmaceutical executives. The Kinarus team utilizes its knowledge and drug development competencies to in-license and develop mid-stage clinical assets which have increased probability of clinical and regulatory success and a rapid path to market. Kinarus possesses the exclusive worldwide license to pamapimod from Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd. covering all therapeutic indications.

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