Celator® Pharmaceuticals Receives Allowance of Expanded U.S. Claims on CombiPlex® Technology

EWING, N.J., Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPXX) today announced that it was given a notice of allowance of claims by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the patent "Compositions for Delivery of Drug Combinations."  This patent covers the Company's proprietary CombiPlex technology, and the allowed claims increase the scope of drug delivery vehicles covered by the patent. 

Celator recently announced the successful application of its proprietary CombiPlex technology to drug combinations incorporating molecularly targeted agents (MTAs), where marked improvements in pharmacokinetics, tolerability, efficacy and drug ratio-dependent efficacy were achieved. The chemical features of many MTAs require drug carriers capable of co-encapsulating hydrophobic drugs, and the allowed claims now broadly cover micelles, polymer nanoparticles, polymer microparticles, polymer-lipid hybrid systems and derivatized single chain polymers. These types of drug carriers are often used to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs for systemic delivery.

"This is an important development for our CombiPlex platform," said Dr. Lawrence Mayer, president and chief scientific officer at Celator. "The repertoire of drug carriers now covered by the patent claims, positions Celator for leadership in a space where evidence is mounting that improved delivery of MTA combinations could overcome significant challenges experienced with conventional formulations of these agents. We expect this will strengthen our ability to pursue R&D collaborations with biopharmaceutical companies."

About Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc., with locations in Ewing, N.J., and Vancouver, B.C., is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is transforming the science of combination therapy, and developing products to improve patient outcomes in cancer. Celator's proprietary technology platform, CombiPlex®, enables the rational design and rapid evaluation of optimized combinations incorporating traditional chemotherapies as well as molecularly targeted agents to deliver enhanced anti-cancer activity.  CombiPlex addresses several fundamental shortcomings of conventional combination regimens, as well as the challenges inherent in combination drug development, by identifying the most effective synergistic molar ratio of the drugs being combined in vitro, and fixing this ratio in a nano-scale drug delivery complex to maintain the optimized combination after administration and ensure its exposure to the tumor.  Celator's pipeline includes lead product, VYXEOS™ (formerly CPX-351), a liposomal formulation of cytarabine:daunorubicin being studied for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia; CPX-1, a liposomal formulation of irinotecan:floxuridine being studied for the treatment of colorectal cancer; and a preclinical stage product candidate, CPX-8, a hydrophobic docetaxel prodrug nanoparticle formulation, being studied by the National Cancer Institute's Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory.  The company is advancing the CombiPlex platform and broadening its application to include molecularly targeted therapies.  The company is seeking research and development collaborations, applying its proprietary technologies, with other biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies.

For more information, please visit Celator's website at www.celatorpharma.com. Information on ongoing trials is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements:

To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Celator, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, statements regarding the safety, potential efficacy and therapeutic potential of VYXEOS™ (formerly CPX-351), other drug combinations, our expectations regarding the scope and duration of patent protection, our expectations regarding our research and development programs and advancing our CombiPlex platform and the potential to establish R&D programs with other pharma partners. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our development programs, future results, or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.  Celator undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.  Celator undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.  For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see Celator's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and 8-K, and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACTS:
Media:
Mike Beyer
Sam Brown, Inc.
312-961-2502
[email protected]

Investors:
Adam Krop
The Trout Group
646-378-2963
[email protected]

SOURCE Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.celatorpharma.com