Press Release
St. Genis-Pouilly, France, 30 May 2024
Step Pharma, the global leader in CTPS1 inhibition for targeted cancer treatment, today announced it has received an issue notification from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), indicating the grant of a new US patent, and that the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) expert committee has approved the name “dencatistat” for the Company’s lead compound STP938.
The patent, US Patent No 11,987,573, covers one of the key compounds within the Company’s extensive portfolio of CTPS1 inhibitor assets. This patent issue strengthens Step Pharma’s intellectual property, which is safeguarded by a range of published and unpublished patent families. Previously, the Company announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) granted patent EP3870574, which covers the same key compounds.
In addition, Step Pharma announces that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council, and the World Health Organization (WHO) INN expert committee has approved “dencatistat” as the nonproprietary (generic) name for the Company’s lead compound STP938. Dencatistat (STP938) is a first-in-class oral cancer therapeutic specifically inhibiting CTPS1. This compound is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate its safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy in adult patients with relapsed or refractory T cell and B cell lymphomas.
Andrew Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Step Pharma, commented:
“The issue notification of our new US patent, combined with the recent European patent grant, significantly strengthens our intellectual property portfolio and reinforces our leadership in developing CTPS1 inhibitors. These milestones are crucial as we continue to advance our lead compound STP938, which has now been assigned the name dencatistat, through multiple clinical trials. We are committed to bringing this innovative treatment to patients with high unmet medical needs, aiming to improve outcomes for those affected by blood cancers and solid tumours.”
Contacts
Step Pharma
Andrew Parker, Chief Executive Officer
contact@step-ph.com
Media Relations
Consilium Strategic Communications
Amber Fennell, Namrata Taak, Davide Salvi
T. +44 (0) 20 3709 5700
steppharma@consilium-comms.com
Step Pharma’s goal is to bring about a step change in how cancer is treated with targeted therapies that kill cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed. The Company is the world leader in CTPS1 inhibition, a new approach with the potential to yield highly selective, safe and effective cancer treatments for both blood cancers and solid tumours.
The Company’s lead product STP938 has received both IND and CTA clearance to proceed into first in human trials in the US and UK for the treatment of T cell and B cell lymphomas. Clinical trials in lymphoma commenced in September 2022. STP938 has the potential to be the backbone of a multitude of cancer therapies as well as a potent monotherapy for hard-to-treat blood cancers.
Step Pharma was founded in 2014 by Kurma Partners, the Imagine Institute and Sygnature Discovery, based on the scientific discoveries of Prof. Alain Fischer and Dr Sylvain Latour. Step Pharma is based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, and is supported by a strong syndicate of investors led by Kurma Partners and including Bpifrance (Fonds Biothérapies Innovantes et Maladies Rares and InnoBio2 Fund), Pontifax, Hadean Ventures, Sunstone Life Science Ventures, Inserm Transfert Initiative, Idinvest, Sygnature Discovery and the Imagine Institute. More information on the company can be found at www.step-ph.com.
