Nicox Granted Patent for NCX 470 in China, Extending Coverage to 2039

Nicox SA announced that the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has granted the company a formulation patent for NCX 470, its lead product candidate in development for patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, extending coverage in China to 2039. With the equivalent US and European patents already granted, the formulation is now covered in most major global territories. NCX 470 is also covered by granted composition of matter patents.

“The granting of this formulation patent in China, in addition to the recent European and United States grants, further strengthens the protection around our lead product candidate, NCX 470, and allows our partner in China, Ocumension Therapeutics, to benefit from a significantly longer period of exclusivity while securing Nicox’s royalty stream on sales in China," Gavin Spencer, Chief Business Officer at Nicox, said in a company news release. "Our phase 3 clinical trials, Mont Blanc and Denali, continue to advance and we look forward to the submission of new drug applications in both the United States and China to bring NCX 470 to patients in these important markets.”

NCX 470, Nicox’s lead product candidate, is a novel nitric oxide (NO)-donating prostaglandin analog designed to release bimatoprost and NO into the eye. NCX 470 is currently being evaluated against latanoprost, the leading prostaglandin analog by prescription volume in the US, in the ongoing Mont Blanc and Denali phase 3 clinical trials, with results expected in Q1 2023 and by the end of 2023, respectively.

Nicox has licensed exclusive rights to Ocumension for NCX 470 in China, Korea and Southeast Asia. Ocumension has paid €18 million to Nicox for these rights, and is also funding 50% of the total cost for the Denali phase 3 clinical trial. Nicox stands to receive tiered royalties of between 6% and 12% on sales of NCX 470 by Ocumension. Ocumension is a Chinese ophthalmology company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange since July 2020 (HKEX: OCUMENSION-B (1477)).