ISU Abxis gets patent for Alzheimer drug candidate in Taiwan

South Korea's ISU Abxis Co. announced on Friday that its Alzheimer's treatment candidate ISU203 has received a substance patent registration decision from the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office.

Before this achievement, the company applied for patents in Argentina and Taiwan in May this year.

The positive outcome in Taiwan is expected to have a favorable impact on the patent examination process in other countries because the company can utilize the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) scheme. 

PPH is an international cooperation program where, upon recognition of patentability by one country's patent office, another country's patent office expedites the examination process. This facilitates a quicker and more efficient acquisition of patent rights in multiple agreed-upon countries than the traditional process.

ISU Abxis plans to initiate administrative procedures soon by examining countries eligible for PPH applications.

"We are currently examining countries where PPH application is possible through a local agent," an ISU Abxis source said. "Obtaining patent rights for ISU203 in multiple countries at an early stage is highly positive for early business development." 

Write to Young-ae Lee at 0ae@hankyung.com