Arecor’s share price soars as patent is upheld by courts
By Jenny McCall
11:48, 11 October 2021
The stock priece of UK biotechnology company, Arecor Therapeutics, surged today as it announced its European patent EP2457590 on polysaccharide vaccines has been successfully upheld following opposition appeal proceedings filed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (GSK).
The company’s share price soared by 6.58% in afternoon trading today as it reported that the court has dismissed GSK’s appeal, upholding its patent.
Successful appeal
“As part of the Intellectual Property legislation in Europe, patents can be opposed by other companies, within a certain period of time following their formal grant. The opposition process can result in the patent being revoked, amended or upheld in its original form,” Arecor said in a statement.
Arecor’s patent has ‘novel compositions’ and is part of a specific type of vaccine, called polysaccharide. Examples of polysaccharide vaccines are those that are used to protect against Meningitis or Pneumonia.
Loss of potency
Components within similar products are known to degrade over time and lead to a loss in potency. However, Arecor’s novel compositions prevent degradation, which ultimately helps to increase the efficiency of immunisation coverage.
Dr Jan Jezek, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Arecor, commented: “We are delighted about the successful outcome of this appeal. Having developed a highly innovative formulation technology, Arecor has firmly established itself as a world leader in the formulation of superior therapeutic and vaccine products.”
Delighted with outcome
“Our success in the appeal hearing demonstrates the value and the strength of our innovative formulation science and associated intellectual property. Polysaccharide vaccines represent an important class of vaccines for preventing infections such as meningitis or pneumonia. Our proprietary compositions enable formulating such vaccines in a way that simplifies their administration to patients,” The CSO concluded.