Alteogen said on the 9th that its independently developed recombinant human hyaluronidase "ALT-B4" has received an intention to grant for a substance patent from the European Patent Office (EPO). It means the patent office has completed its examination and notified that it will register the patent. Alteogen will complete patent registration after follow-up procedures in individual European countries.
With this patent registration, Alteogen secures exclusive rights to ALT-B4 in Europe following the United States. The company has pursued filings and registrations related to ALT-B4 in key countries to strengthen its global intellectual property (IP).
ALT-B4 is the core substance of Alteogen's Hybrozyme platform technology, which converts intravenous (IV) formulations into subcutaneous (SC) formulations. Alteogen developed ALT-B4 by applying a domain swapping technology that cross-combines a hyaluronidase domain different from human-derived hyaluronidase (PH20).
ALT-B4 is currently being developed into subcutaneous formulation therapies through separate license agreements on ALT-B4 with seven global pharmaceutical companies, including MSD, AstraZeneca, GSK plc (GSK), Biogen, Daiichi Sankyo, and Intas.
The first commercial product applying ALT-B4 is MSD's Keytruda SC, an immuno-oncology drug. It was launched in the United States last year and is regarded as the first case proving the commercial value of the ALT-B4 platform.
ALT-B4 had previously completed substance patent registration in the United States, securing exclusivity through 2043. In addition to the substance patent, the company plans to build a patent portfolio that includes composition and use patents to strengthen intellectual property protection in the global market.
Jeon Tae-yeon, CEO of Alteogen, said, "ALT-B4 is a platform substance designed from the early development stage with a multilayered patent strategy in mind," adding, "As patent results are becoming visible in key markets such as the United States and Europe, we are now able to provide global partners with a core substance backed by exclusivity." He noted, "We will continue to reinforce the patent portfolio of ALT-B4 to expand global partnerships and the foundation for commercialization."