Enlivex Receives Notice of Allowance for Patent Application Covering the Use of Allocetra in Patients With Osteoarthritis


Enlivex Therapeutics Ltd. recently announced the Japanese Patent Office issued a notice of allowance for patent application number 2022-512861 titled Therapeutic Apoptotic Cells for Treatment of Osteoarthritis. Once issued, the resulting patent will provide Enlivex with added intellectual property (IP) protection through at least 2040. The Company expects that this new patent will be formally issued in Japan by the end of the second quarter of 2025.

Oren Hershkovitz, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Enlivex, said “This notice of allowance demonstrates our commitment to protecting Allocetra’s commercial opportunities in key geographies around the world. We also believe that it highlights the successful execution of our global IP strategy. Going forward, we will continue to pursue multiple layers of patent protection in key global markets as we work to develop Allocetra as a next-generation cell therapy for osteoarthritis, which is an unmet medical need that currently has poor treatment alternatives.”

Osteoarthritis is by far the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 32.5 million Americans and more than 300 million individuals worldwide. About half of knees with ACL injuries develop osteoarthritis within 5 to 15 years. 78 million Americans are projected to have osteoarthritis by the year 2040. Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis is particularly prevalent and disabling, with 40% of men and 47% of women developing knee osteoarthritis in their lifetimes. Osteoarthritis accounts for over one million hospitalizations annually in the United States, primarily for total joint replacement. The burden of osteoarthritis is enormous, and the need for treatments that reduce pain and attendant disability for persons with osteoarthritis is critical. There are currently no medications approved by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that have been demonstrated to arrest, slow or reverse progression of structural damage in the joint.

Enlivex is a clinical-stage macrophage reprogramming immunotherapy company developing Allocetra, a universal, off-the-shelf cell therapy designed to reprogram macrophages into their homeostatic state. Resetting non-homeostatic macrophages into their homeostatic state is critical for immune system rebalancing and resolution of life-threatening conditions. For more information, visit https://enlivex.com/.