Aclaris Therapeutics Announces the Allowance of a US Patent Application & Issuance Covering Hair Loss Disorders

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced that Columbia University has received a Notice of Allowance from the USPTO for a patent application covering methods of treating a hair loss disorder, such as alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia, or inducing hair growth, by administering tofacitinib topically or by administering tofacitinib as the sole active ingredient, and treating androgenetic alopecia or inducing hair growth in a subject having androgenetic alopecia by administering tofacitinib. The application was allowed with 66 claims.

This US application will become the latest patent to issue in Aclaris’ JAK inhibitor drug development program for hair loss disorders. Columbia University has previously issued US patents covering the use of ruxolitinib, baricitinib, and decernotinib (VX-509) for the treatment of hair loss disorders, for inducing hair growth, as well as the use of these JAK inhibitors to treat androgenetic alopecia. The allowed US application is part of an intellectual property portfolio that includes other issued patents and numerous patent applications in the US and major international markets directed to various JAK inhibitors for the treatment of hair loss disorders, such as alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, and other hair loss conditions.

The allowance of this US application follows closely on the heels of the issuance of Japanese Letters Patent No. 6212107, which is directed to topical compositions of tofacitinib, as well as pharmaceutical compositions of tofacitinib as the sole therapeutic active agent, for treating hair loss disorders and for inducing hair growth. Japanese Letters Patent No. 6212107 was issued on September 22, 2017, with 25 claims and expires in March 2033. The claims cover tofacitinib in a topical composition or as the sole active therapeutic agent in a pharmaceutical composition for inducing hair growth and for treating hair loss disorders, such as alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia. This newly issued patent is owned by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and exclusively licensed to Aclaris.

Another patent has already been issued in Japan for the pharmaceutical compositions of ruxolitinib or baricitinib for the treatment of hair loss disorders, such as androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. This previously issued patent, Japanese Letters Patent No. 5948337, was granted on June 10, 2016 and will expire in November 2031. These Japanese patents further bolster the steadily growing worldwide protection Aclaris has acquired for its JAK drug development program for hair loss disorders.

“We are delighted with the steady expansion of the patent portfolio we exclusively licensed from Columbia University. The US allowance and the new Japanese patent augment our already strong worldwide intellectual property portfolio related to the use of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of hair loss disorders,” said Stu Shanler, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Aclaris.

Through exclusive licenses, Aclaris has built an extensive intellectual property estate consisting of selective JAK 1/3 compounds, highly selective JAK 3 compounds, and methods of using JAK inhibitors to treat AA, AGA, and various other hair loss disorders. Aclaris has exclusively licensed a patent portfolio from Columbia University directed to methods of using JAK inhibitors for the treatment of AA, AGA, and other hair loss disorders. This portfolio includes four issued U.S. patents and a recently allowed US application directed to methods of treating AA, AGA and other hair loss disorders by administering baricitinib, decernotinib, ruxolitinib, or tofacitinib, and two recently issued patents in Japan directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising baricitinib, ruxolitinib, or tofacitinib for use in treating AA, AGA and other hair loss disorders. Aclaris will continue to prosecute additional intellectual property to protect our interests.

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. is a dermatologist-led biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing innovative and differentiated therapies to address significant unmet needs in medical and aesthetic dermatology. Aclaris is focused on large, underserved market segments with no FDA-approved medications or where treatment gaps exist. Aclaris is based in Malvern, Pennsylvania and more information can be found by visiting the Aclaris website at www.aclaristx.com.