The successfully defended patent protects novel compositions of a specific type and group of vaccines, called polysaccharide vaccines. Examples of polysaccharide vaccines are vaccines that are used to protect against Meningitis or Pneumonia. Such products are known to degrade over time, leading to gradual loss of potency. The novel compositions protected by this patent prevent such degradation and enable the development of improved polysaccharide vaccines in more convenient dosage forms that can be used outside the cold chain, thereby increasing the efficiency of immunisation coverage.

Arecor’s proprietary formulation technology, Arestat™, enables unparalleled biopharmaceutical product profiles across a broad range of therapies, including liquid vaccine compositions with improved stability. Arecor partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to deliver unequalled reformulations of their proprietary products, which would otherwise not be possible using conventional formulation science.

The Company has invested considerably into building a strong patent portfolio to protect the Arestat™ technology as well as the product assets that it enables. Arecor’s intellectual property portfolio currently comprises 25 patent families, within which 26 individual patents have been granted in key territories.

European patents can be opposed by other companies within a certain period of time following their formal grant. The ensuing opposition process follows strictly defined rules and can result in the patent being revoked, amended or upheld in the original form.

The Company’s European patent on polysaccharide vaccines had recently been opposed and the two years of opposition process culminated in oral proceedings at the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office. The decision of the Opposition Division was favourable to Arecor and the patent was upheld with no amendments.

Dr Jan Jezek , Chief Scientific Officer at Arecor, commented: “We are delighted about the successful outcome of the opposition proceedings. Having developed a highly innovative formulation technology, Arecor has established itself firmly as a world leader in the formulation of superior biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. However, the value of our technology would be significantly diminished without strong patent protection, which is why we have been systematically building a complex patent portfolio around our technology and product assets. 

Our success in the opposition proceedings is great news for Arecor, as it demonstrates the value and the strength of our innovative formulation science and associated intellectual property. Polysaccharide vaccines represent a very important class of vaccines for preventing infections such as meningitis or pneumonia. Our proprietary compositions permit formulating such vaccines in a way that simplifies their administration to patients.”