Poolbeg Pharma has received a decision to grant a European patent covering the use of its investigational candidate POLB 001 for the prevention of cancer immunotherapy-induced cytokine release syndrome (CRS).

The decision from the European Patent Office strengthens the company’s intellectual property portfolio for POLB 001 and follows patent grants in Australia and Canada earlier this year.

The patent covers the use of p38 MAPK inhibitors, including POLB 001, to prevent CRS associated with cancer immunotherapy. According to the company, the application is supported by proprietary data generated during its research programme.

The announcement comes as Poolbeg continues development of POLB 001, with interim data from its ongoing Topical trial expected later this summer. The study is evaluating the candidate as a preventative treatment for CRS in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma receiving the approved bispecific antibody teclistamab.

Jeremy Skillington, chief executive officer of Poolbeg Pharma, said: “This decision to grant the European patent further strengthens our IP protection for POLB 001 in cancer immunotherapy-induced CRS.”

He added: “Europe represents one of the most strategically important pharmaceutical markets and this grant increases the commercial value of POLB 001 to potential partners at a critical stage in the programme’s development.”

CRS is a potentially serious inflammatory response that can occur following certain cancer immunotherapies, including CAR T-cell therapies and bispecific antibodies. Preventing or reducing the severity of CRS remains an area of active research as the use of immunotherapy expands across oncology.

Poolbeg said the European patent represents its most commercially significant grant to date within this patent family and complements recent approvals in other jurisdictions as it continues to build global intellectual property protection around POLB 001.

The company expects to provide further updates on patent coverage in additional territories as prosecution continues.