SANTA BARBARA, Calif., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- VG Life Sciences, Inc., (OTCQB: VGLS), a biotechnology company developing therapies for cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will issue Patent No. 9073985 covering VGLS' combination therapy for treating drug-resistant cancer by combining an autophagy inhibitor with a chemotherapy drug.
In addition, the USPTO will extend the term of the patent an extra 684 days to account for the time taken to process the application.
"This patent strengthens and broadens VGLS' intellectual property that has already been translated into promising results during Phase I clinical trials in which the combination therapies were shown to be safe and tolerable, while also showing tumor size reduction and stabilization in patients with metastatic cancers," said John Tynan, VGLS Chief Executive.
Since cancer cells rapidly divide, they have very high energy demands. They employ unique mechanisms to meet these demands, mechanisms not found in healthy cells. VGLS' technology targets those pathways that the cells may use to fuel themselves, inhibiting autophagy.
Hydroxychloroquine, the inhibiting compound used in the combination therapy, disrupts the cancer cells' metabolic strategies, weakens their repair functions, slows their growth and makes them more sensitive to the chemotherapy drugs.
VGLS has completed a Phase I clinical trial of the combination therapy at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. The trial involved patients with solid tumors and examined the safety and efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine in combination with sorafenib (marketed as Nexavar®) co-developed by Bayer AG and Onyx Pharmaceuticals.
Primary investigator and medical oncologist Dr. Tyler Curiel, M.D., M.P.H., reported: "There are sufficient evaluable patients to conclude that this combination, maximum dose, and schedule are sufficiently safe for additional clinical testing. In addition, the study found tumor reduction and stabilization in a number of patients in the third and fourth cohorts who had higher dosing."
About VG Life Sciences Inc.
Santa Barbara, California-based VG Life Sciences, Inc., formerly known as Viral Genetics, is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing drug therapies for cancer, infectious disease, and inflammatory, autoimmune disorders. VGLS controls over 40 U.S. and international patents and pending patents protecting its exclusive biotech platform technologies. For more information and upcoming events, visit www.vglifesciences.comor find VG Life Sciences, Inc. on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Safe Harbor Statement and Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with financial projections, milestone timelines, clinical development, regulatory approvals and other risks described by VG Life Sciences from time to time in its periodic reports. None of VG Life Sciences' drug compounds are approved by the U.S. FDA or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by VG Life Sciences or any other person that the objectives and plans of VG Life Sciences will be achieved.
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SOURCE VG Life Sciences, Inc.
