ONYVAX GRANTED BROAD US PATENT FOR LEAD PROSTATE CANCER VACCINE

London, UK – 04 December, 2007: Onyvax Limited, the biotechnology company developing novel cancer therapies, today announced that it has been issued a broad patent (US Patent No. 7,303,911) that protects Onycap23, the company's proprietary prostate cancer cell line. Onycap23 is a key component of Onyvax-P, the company’s lead product that is designed to stimulate the immune system to fight prostate cancer that is currently in two Phase IIb clinical trials. This patent significantly strengthens the company’s intellectual property position.

Onyvax-P consists of three prostate cancer cell lines, each representative of a different site or stage of prostate cancer. Using a combination of cell lines in this way ensures that a broad range of prostate cancer antigens are presented to the immune system and this decreases the risks of the tumor being able to mutate and become resistant to the therapy. Onyvax either owns or has exclusive rights to use all three prostate cancer cell lines that form the basis of Onyvax-P. As with all its cell lines, Onyvax has fully tested Onycap23 for safety and stability and has demonstrated that it both meets the current regulatory requirements and has the appropriate robustness for an industrial manufacturing process.

Dr. Anthony Walker, CEO of Onyvax said: "We are pleased to have been issued this broad patent which further protects the company’s intellectual property position. The patent protection, biological nature of Onyvax-P and the ownership of the cell lines are three substantial barriers to entry for companies wishing to compete in this field”.

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers that affects the male population. Each year approximately 410,000 patients are diagnosed with the disease in the seven major markets, of which 250,000 cases are in the United States alone. The incidence of progression to HRPC in the seven major markets is over 36,500 patients per annum, with a total patient population of 220,000.

For further information:

Onyvax
Dr Anthony Walker / Robert Johnson
+44 (0)208 682 9494

Financial Dynamics
Julia Philips
+44 (0)20 7831 3113

 

Notes to editors

Onyvax Ltd is a biotechnology company developing novel cancer therapies that harness the selective power of the immune system to seek and destroy tumour cells.

Founded in 1998, Onyvax is developing products that use the power of the immune system to treat prostate and other cancers. Onyvax’s lead products are based on combinations of inactivated cell lines that induce immune responses to a broad spectrum of tumour targets. Onyvax-P, a Cell Vaccine for prostate cancer, is the subject of two randomized, double blind, placebo controlled Phase IIb clinical trials, one in Europe, the other in US. For each cancer type, Onyvax generates banks of proprietary cell lines representative of different stages of the disease. The vaccines are manufactured in bulk under standardized conditions.

Onyvax is committed to the commercialization of new therapies that significantly prolong survival while maintaining a high quality of life for cancer patients. The Company is based in London and has collaborations with leading institutions in Europe and the US. Further information on Onyvax can be found at www.onyvax.com