OncoQuest Receives "Notice of Allowance" for Patent Protection of the Administration Schedule of Oregovomab and Chemotherapy for Stage III-IV Ovarian Cancer Patients

EDMONTON, Sept. 25, 2019 /CNW/ - OncoQuest Inc., a privately held, cancer immunotherapy company today announced that a Notice of Allowance was received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for patent protection of the schedule of administration of our monoclonal anti-CA-125 antibody, mAb-B43.13, now known as oregovomab, in a specific schedule in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in Stage III-IV ovarian cancer patients.

A Notice of Allowance signifies that the applicant is entitled to receive patent protection of 20 years under the law. The patent claim lays out a specific schedule of administration of oregovomab in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, and as a standalone injection 10 to 14 weeks after the third oregovomab administration. This administration protocol generated a statistically significant Progression Free and Overall Survival advantage over chemotherapy alone in a 97-patient randomized controlled Phase 2 study in newly diagnosed Stage III-IV ovarian cancer patients which was completed in 2017 [NCT01616303].

The Company is currently planning to launch a Phase 3 trial in Q1 2020. The planned Phase 3 study is expected to enroll over 500 patients with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer globally. The primary endpoint will be to evaluate progression-free survival of patients treated with oregovomab plus a standard-of-care chemotherapy combination, carboplatin and paclitaxel, compared to the chemotherapy alone.

"We are very pleased that this additional patent was allowed as it is a significant addition to our oregovomab patent portfolio, providing extended exclusivity protection, in addition to what we are already expecting from the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA)," said Dr. Madiyalakan, CEO of OncoQuest. "This marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to optimize the value of our oregovomab product as we embark on our initiation of the Phase III registration study and towards commercialization of oregovomab."

About OncoQuest

OncoQuest is a subsidiary of Quest PharmaTech Inc. (TSXV-QPT) ("Quest") and is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of immunotherapies for cancer. OncoQuest's technology platform includes a portfolio of tumor antigen specific monoclonal immunoglobulins including CA-125, MUC1, PSA and Her2/neu.  The company is exploring the therapeutic potential of these antibodies in combination with other immune modulating drugs or drug combinations to enhance tumor specific immunity and clinical outcomes.

OncoQuest's lead product candidate is oregovomab, an anti-CA-125 antibody, for the treatment of ovarian cancer that has completed a Phase 2 frontline randomized controlled study. In addition, oregovomab is currently being studied in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials in the relapsed recurrent ovarian cancer setting as well. OncoQuest's anti-MUC1 antibody program has already undergone a Phase 1 clinical trial in breast cancer patients, and its development is being led by OncoVent Co. Ltd., OncoQuest's joint venture partner that has licensed the rights of our immunotherapeutic antibodies in the territory of Greater China. OncoQuest's next-generation monoclonal antibodies are based on immunoglobulin E licensed from UCLA, Stanford University and Advanced Immune Therapeutics, Inc. These antigen specific monoclonal IgE antibodies are currently in preclinical development.  To learn more, visit www.oncoquestinc.com . 

About Quest PharmaTech Inc.
Quest PharmaTech Inc is a publicly traded, Canadian based biopharmaceutical company (QPT: TSX-V) developing products to improve the quality of life. The Company through its subsidiary, OncoQuest and its Chinese joint venture, OncoVent, is developing antibody-based immunotherapeutic products for cancer. Quest has an ownership interest in Bioceltran which is focused on SP Technology™ for transdermal delivery of drugs and photosensitizers for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Quest through its subsidiary, Madenco BioSciences, is developing pharmaceutical products for dermatology and wound healing applications.  Quest, through its ownership interest in OncoCare Therapeutics, is developing an antibody licensed from University of Nebraska, AR 9.6 mAb against truncated O-glycan on MUC16, for targeted cancer therapy applications.  To learn more, visit www.questpharmatech.com

Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements.  In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions. These statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release based on new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

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SOURCE OncoQuest Inc.

Dr. Madi R. Madiyalakan, Chief Executive Officer, OncoQuest Inc., Tel: [phone] Ext. 204, Email: [email protected]; Hany S. Awadalla, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, OncoQuest Inc., Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]