Alkermes, Inc. (ALKS)

[surf1944]

7:03AM Alkermes announces notice of allowance of U.S. Patent for a novel fumarate prodrug for Multiple Sclerosis; expects to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in mid-2014 (ALKS) 40.07 : Co announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application 14/032,736, entitled "Prodrugs of fumarates and their use in treating various diseases."

The allowed composition of matter claims will cover Alkermes' MMF prodrug, ALKS 8700, a proprietary, small-molecule prodrug of monomethyl fumarate (MMF) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
The Notice of Allowance resulted from a prioritized examination granted by the USPTO, and the allowed claims are directed toward a novel MMF prodrug that is designed to rapidly and efficiently convert to MMF in the body.
Alkermes expects to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and initiate a phase 1 study of ALKS 8700 in mid 2014.