An immune system boosting anti cancer drug has been successfully patented in the US by a UK biotechnology company. ‘Onyvax-P’ consists of three prostate cancer cell lines, each representative of a different site or stage of prostate cancer.

Using a combination of cell lines in this way ensures that a broad range of prostate cancer antigens are presented to the immune system and this decreases the risks of the tumour being able to mutate and become resistant to the therapy.

Onyvax either owns or has exclusive rights to use all three prostate cancer cell lines that form the basis of Onyvax-P. All cell lines have been fully tested for safety and stability, meeting the current regulatory requirements and the appropriate robustness for an industrial manufacturing process.

Dr. Anthony Walker, CEO of Onyvax said: "We are pleased to have been issued this broad patent which further protects the company’s intellectual property position. The patent protection, biological nature of Onyvax-P and the ownership of the cell lines are three substantial barriers to entry for companies wishing to compete in this field”.

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers affecting the male population, killing one man every hour in the UK.