Ariceum Therapeutics announces granting of US and Canadian patents for its Gallium-68 radiopharmaceutical production kit

BERLIN, Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ariceum Therapeutics, a private biotech company developing radiopharmaceutical products for the diagnosis and treatment of certain hard-to-treat cancers, is pleased to announce the granting of US and Canadian patents covering its Gallium-68 (Ga-68) radiopharmaceutical production kit. The IP was developed by Theragnostics Ltd, which was acquired by Ariceum earlier this year.

The patents have been sub-licensed exclusively to Advance Accelerator Applications (AAA) and apply to the technology underpinning AAA's Ga-68 HBED-PSMA-11 production kit, branded Locametz®. To date, the production of Ga-68 radiopharmaceuticals has involved a multi-step approach, which limits the number of patient doses that can be produced at any one time. Theragnostics' Ga-68 technology platform enables the production of multiple doses of Ga-68 HBED-PSMA-11 in a single vial, in one simple step.

Manfred Rüdiger, Chief Executive Officer of Ariceum Therapeutics said: "We are pleased that this IP has been granted so soon after our recent acquisition of Theragnostics, highlighting our progress and commitment to developing a pipeline of targeted radiotherapy innovations. We are proud to be contributing with this IP to the success of PSMA diagnostics, specifically Locametz, which represents an alternative pathway for PMSA PET imaging of patients."

Greg Mullen, Chief Operating Officer of Ariceum Therapeutics and co-inventor of the patent, added: "This technology simplifies the production of Ga-68 PSMA for the benefit of thousands of patients around the world, which is incredibly rewarding to see. The granting of these patents represents another important milestone towards meeting anticipated increased demand for PSMA PET imaging of patients, following the publication of recent positive data demonstrating the benefit of radioligand therapy in prostate cancer."

The announcement of the new patents comes prior to Dr Greg Mullen, Chief Operating Officer of Ariceum Therapeutics, and Dr Germo Gericke, Chief Medical Officer of Ariceum, presenting at the upcoming 5^th Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals Summit Europe, being held in Berlin, Germany, from Dec 5-7. Presentation details below.

Presentation Title: Understanding radionuclide Auger therapy to examine its use and advantages
Speaker: Dr Greg Mullen, Chief Operating Officer of Ariceum Therapeutics
Date & Time: 7 December, 1.30pm CET

Presentation Title: Bench to bedside – How to design innovative radiopharmaceuticals for human use
Speaker: Dr Germo Gericke, Chief Medical Officer of Ariceum Therapeutics
Date & Time: 7 December, 4.00pm CET

About Ariceum Therapeutics

Ariceum Therapeutics (Ariceum) is a private, clinical stage radiopharmaceutical company focused on the diagnosis and precision treatment of certain neuroendocrine and other aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers. The name Ariceum is an anagram of 'Marie Curie' whose discovery of radium and polonium have been huge contributions to finding treatments for cancer.

Ariceum's lead targeted systemic radiopharmaceutical product, 177Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan ("satoreotide"), is an antagonist of the somatostatin type 2 (SSTR2) receptor which is overexpressed in neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and some aggressive cancers such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), or Merkel Cell Carcinoma, all of which have few treatment options and poor prognosis. Satoreotide is being developed as a 'theranostic' pair for the combined diagnosis and targeted radionuclide treatment of these tumours. Ariceum is also developing a radiolabelled PARP-inhibitor (ATT-001), which is slated to enter the clinic in early 2024. ATT-001 was part of the acquisition of Theragnostics Ltd which was closed earlier in 2023.

Ariceum Therapeutics, launched in 2021, acquired all rights from Ipsen. Ipsen remains a shareholder in the Company. Ariceum is headquartered in Berlin, with operations in Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and Switzerland and activities currently across the globe.

Ariceum is led by a highly experienced management team and supported by specialist investors including EQT Life Sciences (formerly LSP), HealthCap, Pureos Bioventures, Andera Partners and Earlybird Venture Capital. For further information, please visit www.ariceum-therapeutics.com.