ImmunoTech jumps after Japan grants patent for experimental cancer drug

AIM ImmunoTech

18/03/2026 13:00

** Shares of drugmaker AIM ImmunoTech AIM.A rise 64% to $1.17 premarket

** Co says it received Japanese patent covering the use of its experimental drug Ampligen with immunotherapy drugs, known as checkpoint inhibitors

** Checkpoint inhibitors help the immune system attack cancer cells by removing "brakes" stopping the immune system

** Patent applies to multiple cancers, including pancreatic cancer, a hard-to-treat disease where tumors grow quickly and survival rates are low, co says

** Patent valid until December 2039 after opposition period ended; similar patents already held in the U.S. and the Netherlands

** Co says it plans to seek orphan drug status for Ampligen in Japan, which can give longer market protection if approved

** Ampligen is not approved for cancer use and is still being tested

** Shares fell ~94% in 2025

 (Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru)

 ((Sahil.Pandey@thomsonreuters.com))