Geron prevails in European patent case

Biopharmaceutical company Geron Corp. said June 15, 2006 that the European patent office [EPO] has upheld 44 of its 47 claims in a patent related to the cloned human telomerase gene and its uses.

Denmark's Pharmexa had filed an opposition to the patent, seeking revocation of all 47 claims. The three canceled claims are related to immunogenic peptides of telomerase useful as vaccines, Geron said, adding that they are not relevant to the company's anticancer vaccine candidate.