Q BioMed wins US patent for its Uttrocide-B molecule as a potential liver cancer treatment

Q BioMed Inc (OTCQB:QBIO) announced Monday that it has received a US patent for its Uttrocide-B molecule as a potential liver cancer treatment.

The company has the exclusive rights to the technology through an agreement with the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, an autonomous institute under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. 

Q BioMed said the method of use for the patent —  titled “Uttroside-B and Derivatives Thereof as Therapeutics for Hepatocellular Carcinoma” — covers the use of a novel pharmaceutical for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. 

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International and additional US claims are currently under prosecution for the technology which addresses a severe unmet need for a safe and effective drug to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, the company added. 

In a statement, CEO Denis Corin said the patent win comes as the company starts scaling up manufacturing and preparing Uttroside-B for an investigational new drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration. 

“Upon the FDA’s clearance, we anticipate initiating proof of concept studies by the end of next year,” Corin said.

Uttroside-B has shown ten times the potency against HCC as compared to the current standard of care drug in early pre-clinical investigation. Currently, there are only two approved first-line therapies for HCC. Challenges with current treatments include patients becoming resistant to the specific drugs, adverse side effects, and high costs. 

An estimated 700,000 people are diagnosed with HCC each year, with the global market for liver cancer drugs expected to grow to $3.9 billion by 2027.

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Story by ProactiveInvestors