Singapore: Medgenics received a Notice of Allowance from the Japanese Patent and Trademark Office for key claims protecting the use of Medgenics' Infradure Biopump technology for the delivery of interferon alpha (IFNa). Medgenics is developing Infradure as a new approach to provide sustained and patient compliant interferon therapy to address unmet needs in the treatment of hepatitis B, C, and D.

Similar claims protecting Medgenics' Infradure technology have been granted or allowed in other large Asian markets including, China, Korea and Australia. In addition, these countries have allowed broad claims to Medgenics protecting the core Biopump technology for production and delivery of proteins. Patents covering core Biopump technology for a genetically modified dermal micro-organ have already been granted to Medgenics in the US and in the EU.

Medgenics believes its Biopump platform offers an approach to protein therapy with multiple benefits compared with current treatments, which include regular and costly injections of therapeutic proteins. Medgenics' technologies target the global protein therapy market which is forecast to reach $132 billion in 2013.

"Securing international protection for our core technology and its various methods of use are critically important as we continue to develop Infradure to address major unmet needs in various forms of hepatitis and to move towards commercial development. This allowance of key claims specifically covering the core technology underpinning Infradure in some significant hepatitis markets will help to enable us to advance our proprietary technology," stated Dr Andrew L Pearlman, president and chief executive officer of Medgenics.