Geron Statement Regarding European Cancer Vaccine Patents

Geron Corporation GERN today commented on a ruling from the European Patent Office with regard to its European patent 084139, and the issuance of a second Geron patent covering telomerase peptides, EP1783139. In a March 31 ruling, the EPO Technical Board of Appeal upheld a 2006 decision by the EPO Opposition Division cancelling three of the 47 claims of EP 084139 and maintaining the other 44 claims in the patent. The cancelled claims covered the use of telomerase peptides in vaccines for treating cancer. The opposition was originally brought by Pharmexa A/S of Denmark, which was developing GV1001, a telomerase peptide cancer vaccine. The rights to GV1001 were subsequently acquired by KAEL-GemVax, which is now conducting a European Phase 3 trial combining GV1001 with other agents to treat pancreatic cancer. An earlier Phase 3 single agent study of GV1001 in pancreatic cancer was reported to have been halted after a preliminary analysis showed no survival benefit.