Victoria, BC, July 28, 2022--(T-Net)--Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH) today received notice regarding the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decision to institute trial on the Inter Partes review ("IPR") filed by Sun Pharmaceuticals, directed at U.S. Patent No. 10,286,036.
This patent is related to the LUPKYNIS dosing protocol for lupus nephritis.
Peter Greenleaf, Chief Executive Officer, Director, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
"While this decision is disappointing, as we have stated from the start of his process, we will vigorously defend this patent," said Peter Greenleaf, President and CEO, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. "This patent already had significant review at the USPTO before being approved as being a valid patent by that office and we are fully prepared to continue legal proceedings to protect our intellectual property."
Patent No. 10,286,036 was issued to Aurinia in support of the unique eGFR pharmacodynamic dosing protocol used within the Company's clinical trials, and extends patent protection for LUPKYNIS to 2037.
Regardless of the final outcomes of the IPR, the Company has filed a standard form patent term extension for its existing composition of matter patent, which, if granted, would extend the term of that patent by 5 years to October 2027. A determination on patentability, relative to the IPR, is expected on or prior to July 26, 2023.
About Aurinia
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are impacted by serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. In January 2021, the Company introduced LUPKYNIS® (voclosporin), the first FDA-approved oral therapy for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis (LN). The Company's head office is in Victoria, British Columbia, its U.S. commercial hub is in Rockville, Maryland, and the Company focuses its development efforts globally.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable United States securities law. These forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: Aurinia's estimates as to annual net revenue; Aurinia's estimates as to the number of patients with SLE in the U.S. and the proportion of those persons who will develop LN; Aurinia being confident that it is well-poised for growth; Aurinia's belief that it has sufficient financial resources to fund its current plans; the expected timing for the EMA CHMP opinion and EMA decision relating to the EMA MAA; and the planned timing for reporting top-line results from the ongoing AURORA-2 continuation study. [ MORE ]
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable United States securities law. These forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: Aurinia's estimates as to annual net revenue; Aurinia's estimates as to the number of patients with SLE in the U.S. and the proportion of those persons who will develop LN; Aurinia being confident that it is well-poised for growth; Aurinia's belief that it has sufficient financial resources to fund its current plans; the expected timing for the EMA CHMP opinion and EMA decision relating to the EMA MAA; and the planned timing for reporting top-line results from the ongoing AURORA-2 continuation study.
It is possible that such results or conclusions may change. Words such as "anticipate", "will", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "target", "plan", "goals", "objectives", "may" and other similar words and expressions, identify forward-looking statements. We have made numerous assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information contained herein, including among other things, assumptions about: the accuracy of reported data from third party studies and reports; the number, and timing of receipt, of PSFs and their rate of conversion into patients on therapy; that Aurinia's intellectual property rights are valid and do not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties; Aurinia's assumptions relating to the capital required to fund operations; the assumption that Aurinia's current good relationships with its suppliers, service providers and other third parties will be maintained; assumptions relating to the burn rate of Aurinia's cash for operations; the relationship between COVID vaccinations and patient treatment; assumptions related to timing of interactions with regulatory bodies; and that Aurinia's third party service providers will comply with their contractual obligations. Even though the management of Aurinia believes that the assumptions made, and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate.
Forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Aurinia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: Aurinia's actual future financial and operational results may differ from its expectations; difficulties Aurinia may experience in completing the commercialization of voclosporin; the market for the LN business may not be as estimated; Aurinia may have to pay unanticipated expenses; Aurinia may not be able to obtain sufficient supply to meet commercial demand for voclosporin in a timely fashion; unknown impact and difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on Aurinia's business operations including nonclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial activities; the results from Aurinia's clinical studies and from third party studies and reports may not be accurate; Aurinia's third party service providers may not, or may not be able to, comply with their obligations under their agreements with Aurinia; regulatory bodies may not grant approvals on conditions acceptable to Aurinia and its business partners, or at all; and Aurinia's assets or business activities may be subject to disputes that may result in litigation or other legal claims. Although Aurinia has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information, there may be other factors that cause actual results, performances, achievements, or events to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond Aurinia's control. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.
All forward-looking information contained in this press release is qualified by this cautionary statement. Additional information related to Aurinia, including a detailed list of the risks and uncertainties affecting Aurinia and its business, can be found in Aurinia's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K available by accessing the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) website at www.sedar.com or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Electronic Document Gathering and Retrieval System (EDGAR) website at www.sec.gov/edgar, or on Aurinia's website at www.auriniapharma.com.
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