Genprex Inc. reported a sizable market reaction after patent offices in Japan and Europe issued protections for its REQORSA gene therapy when used in combination with immunotherapy agents. Shares of the company rose 27% on the news.
The Japanese Patent Office issued a patent that covers the use of REQORSA in combination with PD-L1 antibodies for cancer treatment. Separately, the European Patent Office granted a patent addressing the combination of REQORSA with PD-1 antibodies. The company says these patents extend to therapeutic combinations that include its ongoing Acclaim-3 clinical trial, which pairs REQORSA with Genentech’s Tecentriq.
In a prepared comment, Thomas Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Genprex, said: "The recent decisions by the Japanese Patent Office and European Patent Office to grant patents for our REQORSA gene therapy in combination with immunotherapies represent further validation for our innovative approach to cancer treatment."
Genprex already holds granted patents for REQORSA combined with PD-L1 antibodies in the United States and Korea, and it has a pending application in Australia. In addition, the company maintains patents for REQORSA combined with PD-1 antibodies in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Australia, Chile, China, Singapore and Europe.
The Acclaim-3 study is a Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing REQORSA with Tecentriq as a maintenance therapy for patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer who are eligible for maintenance therapy after initially receiving Tecentriq plus chemotherapy. The trial’s Phase 2 expansion is planned to enroll roughly 50 patients, and the primary endpoint for that expansion will be the 18-week progression-free survival rate.
Genprex has outlined a timeline for interim data from Acclaim-3. The company expects enrollment of the first 25 patients, which will constitute the cohort for an interim analysis, to be completed in the first half of 2026. The interim analysis itself is scheduled for the second half of 2026. The trial has been granted FDA Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation.
These recent patent grants expand the territorial scope of intellectual property protecting therapeutic combinations that feature REQORSA. The combination patents are tied directly to the company’s clinical development strategy, particularly the Acclaim-3 maintenance therapy program that uses Tecentriq as the checkpoint inhibitor partner.
Investors reacted in the equities market to the news, with a notable single-day gain in Genprex shares following the patent announcements.