Ascelia Pharma AB (publ) announced the decision of the US Patent and Trademark Office to allow the issuance of a third patent covering the composition of Oncoral. Ascelia Pharma has received a positive Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for United States patent application no. 17/865,734 for Oncoral.

Oncoral is Ascelia Pharma's investigational oral daily irinotecan chemotherapy with potential to offer both better efficacy and safety compared to intravenous high-dose chemotherapy infusions at the hospital. The new patent covers the tablet composition and will provide protection until 2035 plus potential extension in the US. It broadens the scope of Ascelia Pharma's patent protection for Oncoral beyond the already-granted US patents US 10,143,657 and US 11,419,825, which broadly cover the solid oral composition of Oncoral as well as the method of using Oncoral.

Outside the US, Oncoral is covered by patents in selected European countries and in Japan, China and Canada.