MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immuron Limited (ASX: IMC; NASDAQ: IMRN), an Australian based and globally integrated biopharmaceutical company that has developed two commercially available oral immunotherapeutic products for the treatment of gut mediated diseases, is pleased to announce that has been granted a European Patent for compositions and methods for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of Clostridioides difficile associated disease.

Notification of the decision to grant European Patent 14784945.9, entitled “Methods and Compositions for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of Clostridium difficile associated disease,” was formally received yesterday, and grant of this application will be published in the European Patent Bulletin on 25 January 2023 under European Patent No. 2986316. The company previously reported it had received notification from the European Patent Office of the intent to grant in July last year (ASX announcement July 7, 2022).

The European registration adds to Immuron's patent position for compositions and methods for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of Clostridioides difficile associated disease in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Clostridioides difficile (previously known as Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) is a disease of the large intestine caused by toxins produced by the spore forming bacterium Clostridioides difficile. CDI can also result in serious disease complications including bowel perforation, toxic megacolon and sepsis, and it can prove fatal in the most severe cases. In recent years, increases in the frequency and severity of CDI have been observed worldwide, as well as an increased risk of community-associated CDI, and CDI in persons previously thought to be low risk. It is estimated that CDI affects up to 1.2% of hospitalized patients in the United States, representing an estimated cost of USD 4.8 billion per year (source: CDC). In Europe, the estimated cost is approximately 3 billion per year, which is likely to increase concomitantly with a more elderly society; more than 134 million Europeans will be >65 years by 2050.

This release has been authorised by the directors of Immuron Limited.

About Immuron

Immuron Limited (ASX: IMC, NASDAQ: IMRN), is an Australian biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing orally delivered targeted polyclonal antibodies for the treatment of infectious diseases.

About IMM-529

IMM-529 is a polyclonal antibody biological product intended to prevent and treat Clostridioides difficile (C.difficile) infections and has been developed to spare the gut microbiome from the effects of "classic" antibiotic treatments. The delivery of IMM-529 results in localized toxin B neutralization at the site of infection and prevents severe damage occurring to the gut while also binding to C.difficile spores and vegetative cells preventing further colonization. In addition, the antibodies in IMM-529 have demonstrated cross-reactions with a variety of human and animal C.difficile isolates and their associated Toxin B, vegetative cell and spore components. The antibodies in IMM-529 have also been shown to neutralize Toxin B from a historical C. difficile strain (630) and from a hypervirulent (HV) strain which caused a worldwide outbreak of the disease.

For more information visit: http://www.immuron.com