Protagonist Therapeutics Granted Two New US Patents for Peptide Drug Candidates PTG-100 and PTG-300

NEWARK, Calif., Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTGX) today announced that two new U.S. patents have been issued that further strengthen the intellectual property protection for the company's novel peptide drug candidates, PTG-100 and PTG-300.

The first patent, No. 9,809,623, covers methods of treating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with PTG-100, an orally stable alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitor. PTG-100 was discovered using Protagonist's proprietary technology platform and is currently in Phase 2b testing in patients with moderate-to-severe, active ulcerative colitis. The new patent adds to previously granted U.S. patents No. 9,273,093 and 9,518,091, which also provide protection for the company's alpha-4-beta-7 integrin peptide inhibitors, including PTG-100.

The second patent, No. 9,822,157, covers peptide analogues of hepcidin, including PTG-300, and related pharmaceutical compositions. PTG-300, the company's lead peptide hepcidin mimetic, recently completed a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers. Protagonist plans to initiate Phase 2 trials of PTG-300 in patients with beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndrome during 2018.

"These new patents further strengthen the long-term intellectual property protection for these clinical-stage assets, both of which have emerged from our innovative peptide technology platform," said Dinesh Patel, Ph.D., Protagonist President and Chief Executive Officer.

About Protagonist Therapeutics

Protagonist Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a proprietary technology platform which is utilized to discover and develop novel peptide-based drugs to address significant unmet medical needs. Its primary focus is on developing potential first-in-class, oral targeted therapy-based peptide drugs that work by blocking biological pathways that are currently targeted by marketed injectable antibody drugs. Protagonist's initial lead peptide product candidates, PTG-100 and PTG-200, are based on this approach, and the company believes these candidates have the potential to transform the existing treatment paradigm for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting primarily of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

PTG-100, a potential first-in-class oral peptide alpha-4-beta-7 integrin antagonist, is currently in a global Phase 2B clinical trial for the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. PTG-200, a potential first-in-class oral Interleukin-23 receptor antagonist in development for the treatment of IBD, initially Crohn's disease, is currently being studied in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Protagonist has entered into a worldwide agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. to co-develop and commercialize PTG-200 for all indications, including IBD.

In addition to PTG-100 and PTG-200, the company is developing an injectable hepcidin mimetic, PTG-300, for the potential treatment of anemia in iron overload disorders, including rare diseases such as beta-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. PTG-300 recently completed a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Protagonist is headquartered in Newark, California with its pre-clinical and clinical staff in California, and discovery operations both in California and in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. For further information, please visit http://www.protagonist-inc.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions or current expectations concerning, among other things, the potential for our programs and our intellectual property. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "will," "expect," or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions.  Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property.  We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release. 

SOURCE Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.