Medicinova (MNOV) Granted Allowance for New Patent Covering MN-166 (ibudilast) for Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis iN Canada

MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ: MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (4875), today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for a pending patent application which covers MN-166 (ibudilast) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The allowed claims cover the use of MN-166 (ibudilast) to treat a patient diagnosed with ALS. The allowed claims cover oral administration in a wide range of daily dosages. Once issued, the patent maturing from this allowed patent application is expected to expire no earlier than July 2028.

Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, "We are very pleased to receive notice that this new patent will be granted as we believe it could substantially increase the potential value of MN-166. Previously, the U.S. FDA granted both orphan-drug designation and fast-track designation and the European Commission granted Orphan Medicinal Product Designation to MN-166 for the treatment of ALS."

About ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The nerves lose the ability to trigger specific muscles, which causes the muscles to become weak. As a result, ALS affects voluntary movement and patients in the later stages of the disease may become completely paralyzed. Average life expectancy of an ALS patient is 3 years from diagnosis. According to the ALS Association, there are approximately 20,000 ALS patients in the U.S. and approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year.

About MN-166 (ibudilast)

MN-166 (ibudilast) is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable, small molecule macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) inhibitor and phosphodiesterase (PDE) -4 and -10 inhibitor that suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes neurotrophic factors. It attenuates activated glial cells, which play a major role in certain neurological conditions. MN-166 (ibudilast)'s anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective actions have been demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies, which provide the rationale for treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), substance abuse/addiction and glioblastoma (GBM). MediciNova is developing MN-166 for progressive MS, ALS and other neurological conditions such as degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), substance abuse/addiction, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and glioblastoma. MediciNova has a portfolio of patents which cover the use of MN-166 (ibudilast) to treat various diseases including progressive MS, ALS, and drug addiction.

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