MediciNova Receives Notice of Allowance for New Patent Covering MN-166 (ibudilast) for the Prevention of Metastasis of Eye Cancer

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the Standard Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a pending patent application which covers MN-166 (ibudilast) for the prevention of metastasis of eye cancer.

Once issued, this patent is expected to expire no earlier than July 2042. The allowed claims cover the use of MN-166 (ibudilast) for preventing, ameliorating, or minimizing metastasis of eye cancer. The allowed claims specifically cover the use of MN-166 (ibudilast) for preventing, ameliorating, or minimizing metastasis of uveal melanoma. The allowed claims cover oral administration, a wide range of doses, a range of different dosing frequencies, and a range of different treatment periods.

Kazuko Matsuda, MD, PhD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, “Our research efforts demonstrated the efficacy of MN-166 (ibudilast) in preventing cancer metastasis in an orthotopic uveal melanoma metastasis model (1,2). MN-166 (ibudilast) significantly impeded uveal melanoma migration through the inhibition of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine, to suppress exosomal cell migration activity. Also, we previously reported that MN-166 (ibudilast) reduced levels of immune suppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and enhanced CD8 T cell activity in the tumor microenvironment (3). We are gratified that this new patent will enhance potential value of MN-166 (ibudilast) in the oncology field.”

1: MediciNova Announces New Data regarding MN-166 (ibudilast) in Uveal Melanoma Presented at the CURE OM Global Science Meeting”
https://investors.medicinova.com/news-releases/news-release-details/me ...
2: MediciNova Announces Publication of MN-166 (ibudilast) Data regarding Prevention of Metastasis in Uveal Melanoma in Molecular Cancer Research
https://investors.medicinova.com/news-releases/news-release-details/me ...
3: MediciNova Announces Positive Preclinical Results Regarding MN-166 (ibudilast) in Glioblastoma (GBM) Published in Frontiers in Immunology
https://investors.medicinova.com/news-releases/news-release-details/me ...