SynAct’s recently announced that US patent application 17/609,849 with claims covering a method of treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with resomelagon (AP1189) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) had been allowed for grant of a US patent. The USPTO has now provided the Issue Notification with an issue date for US patent 12,303,489 of 20 May 2025. Importantly, the Issue Notification also determines that that the US patent is awarded a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) of 769 days, which period is added to the ordinary expiration date of 7 May 2040 to extend the duration of the US patent until 15 June 2042.

“Extension of a patent term in the US can happen as a compensation for the time spent by the patent authorities for processing the application towards grant and is calculated relative to the applicant’s response time. I am pleased that our team has been very efficient and obtained a significant extension,” said Thomas Jonassen, CSO, SynAct Pharma. “The extra patent term will provide further exclusivity on the market at a time when resomelagon, if successfully marketed, will reach its peak sales, and thus significantly add to the value of the asset.”

In the lead development program, resomelagon (AP1189) is used as an add-on to first-line therapy with MTX for the treatment of RA. Ensuring optimal exclusivity in the US for this combination treatment is central to the strategy to fortify SynAct’s intellectual property rights with respect to resomelagon (AP1189).