MediciNova Receives a Notice of Intention to Grant for a New Patent Covering the Combination of MN-166 (ibudilast) and Riluzole for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Europe

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced that it has received a Notice of Intention to Grant from the European Patent Office for a pending patent application which covers the combination of MN-166 (ibudilast) and riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Once issued, the patent maturing from this allowed patent application is expected to expire no earlier than November 2035. The allowed claims cover the combination of MN-166 (ibudilast) and riluzole for use in a method of treating a patient with ALS wherein the treatment results in stabilization of the patient’s scleroses state.   The allowed claims cover a wide range of doses and dosing regimens for both MN-166 (ibudilast) and riluzole.

Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, "We are very pleased to receive notice that this new patent will be granted. Previously, similar patents were granted in the U.S. and Japan based on data from our first clinical trial in ALS patents. We previously announced results of a “responder analysis” which found that the proportion of responders, defined as stable or improved in ALS functional score, muscle test and subjective ALSAQ-5 quality of life assessment, was higher in the MN-166 plus riluzole-treated group compared to the riluzole-only group. We believe this new patent could substantially increase the potential value of MN-166.  We are currently conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial with ALS patients in the U.S. and Canada using MN-166 plus riluzole.  The U.S. FDA granted both orphan-drug designation and fast-track designation to MN-166 for the treatment of ALS, and the European Commission granted Orphan Medicinal Product Designation to MN-166 for the treatment of ALS."

About ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The nerves lose the ability to trigger specific muscles, which causes the muscles to become weak. As a result, ALS affects voluntary movement and patients in the later stages of the disease may become completely paralyzed. Life expectancy of an ALS patient is usually 2-5 years. According to the ALS Association, there are approximately 16,000 ALS patients in the U.S. and approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year.