Alterity Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing disease modifying treatments for neurodegenerative conditions, announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office  (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for Alterity's patent application No. 17/239,375. The composition of matter patent secures exclusivity for a new group of iron chaperones designed to redistribute the excess iron implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. 

The patent, entitled "Compounds for and Methods of Treating Diseases", covers more than 80 novel compounds and underwent prioritized examination by the USPTO.  Together with the recent grant of Alterity's US patent No. 10,941,143 for claims on a separate group of more than 150 novel compounds, Alterity is in a strong position with respect to its iron chaperone technology to address neurodegeneration.  This position was further exemplified by the absence of any novelty or inventiveness objections during the course of prosecution.

"As the scientific evidence implicating excess brain iron in neurodegeneration accumlates, our in-house research team continues to discover novel compounds that address this important target," said Alterity Chief Executive Officer David Stamler, M.D. "The structural backbone illustrated in this new patent provides a larger foundation for small molecule drug candidates to attack this source of neuropathology. As we advance our lead clinical asset ATH434 into a Phase 2 clinical trial later this year, we look forward to identifying new drug candidates to add to our pipeline and address several critical diseases."

The notice of allowance means that the USPTO would issue the patent after certain administrative steps have been completed. The patent will confer on Alterity approximately 20 years of exclusivity over the the compounds claimed in the patent, thus providing a strong basis for drug development and commercialization in neurodegenerative diseases including the Company's first indication Multiple System Atrophy as well as Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.

About Alterity Therapeutics Limited

Alterity Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology and bio pharmaceuticals company dedicated to creating an alternate future for people living with neurodegenerative diseases. The Company's lead asset, ATH434, has the potential to treat various forms of Parkinsonian disorders. Alterity also has a broad drug discovery platform generating patentable chemical to intercede in disease processes. The Company is based in Melbourne, Australia, and San Francisco, California, USA. 

About ATH434

Alterity's lead candidate, ATH434, is the first of a new generation of small molecules designed to inhibit the aggregation of pathological proteins implicated in neurodegeneration. ATH434 has been shown to reduce abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein in animal models of disease by restoring normal iron balance in the brain. In this way, it has excellent potential to treat Parkinson's disease as well as various forms of atypical Parkinsonism such as Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).

ATH434 has been granted Orphan designation for the treatment of MSA by the US FDA and the European   Commission.