aibioGenprex receives Canadian notice of allowance for REQORSA combination patent
Tickers GNPX
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office issued a notice of allowance for a patent covering REQORSA with PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies in lung cancer.
Key facts
- Company
- Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX)
- News type
- Company Updates
- Primary source
- Genprex, Inc. 8-K (2026-06-22)
Genprex, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNPX) announced on June 22, 2026 that the Canadian Intellectual Property Office issued a Notice of Allowance for a patent covering the use of REQORSA Gene Therapy, also called quaratusugene ozeplasmid, in combination with either PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies. The patent covers treatment of both non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The company disclosed the announcement in a Form 8-K filed the same day.
What the patent covers
The Canadian patent expands on earlier REQORSA patents for combinations with PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies. Those earlier patents have been granted in the United States, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Chile, China, Singapore, Europe, Korea, Australia and Israel. Genprex said the allowance strengthens its intellectual property portfolio and provides protection for the therapeutic combinations being evaluated in the Acclaim-3 clinical trial.
The company said REQORSA is initially being developed in combination with approved cancer drugs. In preclinical studies, it has been shown to be complementary with targeted drugs and immunotherapies. That is the company's belief; a patent protects a combination from copying but says nothing about whether the combination works in patients, and no REQORSA combination has been approved.
The lung cancer burden in Canada
The press release cited the Canadian Cancer Society. Lung and bronchus cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, and it is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women there. The society estimates that 32,900 people in Canada will be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer in 2026, representing 13% of all new cancer cases.
The clinical program and finances
The 10-K business section describes the Acclaim-1 trial, which combines REQORSA with Tagrisso (osimertinib) in late-stage non-small cell lung cancer with activating EGFR mutations. The FDA has granted Fast Track Designation for that combination. The Phase 2a expansion portion is expected to enroll approximately 33 patients, and the company expects to complete enrollment of the first 19 patients for an interim analysis in the first half of 2026. The company expects that interim analysis in the second half of 2026. The Acclaim-2 trial with Keytruda has closed to new patients, and Acclaim-3 pairs REQORSA with Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in small cell lung cancer.
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the XBRL data show research and development expense of $9.4 million and a net loss of $16.2 million. For 2024, the comparable figures were $10.5 million and $21.1 million. Cash from operations was negative $15.3 million in 2025 and negative $17.9 million in 2024. Year-end cash and cash equivalents for 2024 were $1.6 million.
Acclaim-2 history
As previously announced in August 2024, the company decided to cease enrollment of new patients in the Acclaim-2 trial. The decision reflected a number of factors, including enrollment challenges and delays due to competition for investigators and eligible patients with numerous other trials involving the same patient population. Genprex said it made the change to prioritize its resources. The 10-K says no patients are receiving study treatment in Acclaim-2 now, and that the company continues to believe the combination could be beneficial.
What comes next
A notice of allowance is a step before grant, not the grant itself, and the filing gives no date for the grant or for further patent action in Canada. The clinical evidence behind the claims is thin: the Phase 1 portion of Acclaim-1 had three of twelve patients with prolonged progression-free survival, and the other two of those three later progressed, after about 24 and 10 months. Acclaim-1 is still waiting for its interim analysis after 19 patients, and the company reported no 2024 revenue and a net loss of $16.2 million for 2025. The company's next scheduled clinical milestone in the 10-K is the interim analysis of Acclaim-1 in the second half of 2026.