Swedish clinical stage immuno-oncology company Elicera Therapeutics AB (STO: ELIC) on Thursday said the China National Intellectual Property Administration has issued a notice of allowance for a patent application covering its CAR T-cell candidate ELC-401 for the treatment of glioblastoma.

The application covers the IL-13Rα2-binding component of ELC-401 and grants Elicera exclusive rights to develop and commercialise treatments in China based on the technology. The company said the protection also extends to similar future products and is expected to remain in force until 2041.

Corresponding patent applications for ELC-401 have previously been allowed in the United States and granted in Japan, giving the candidate intellectual property protection in three major pharmaceutical markets. Elicera also holds an existing Chinese patent covering its iTANK platform, meaning both the tumour-targeting receptor and iTANK component of ELC-401 are protected in China.

The company said the patent position strengthens protection for ELC-401 as development continues in glioblastoma, an aggressive primary brain tumour with a median survival of about 15 months despite standard treatment.