Shares of Hoth Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:HOTH) advanced 3.6% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said it has been granted an important patent in China related to its HT-KIT oncology program.
The patent was approved by the China National Intellectual Property Administration and covers Hoth’s HT-KIT technology, which is designed to trigger apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells by targeting KIT signaling pathways. The approval extends the company’s intellectual property coverage into one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing oncology markets.
“This patent issuance represents a significant validation of the HT-KIT platform and materially strengthens our international intellectual property position,” said Robb Knie. “Securing protection in China enhances the long-term strategic and commercial value of HT-KIT as we continue advancing this program as a differentiated cancer-fighting approach.”
HT-KIT is designed to interfere with abnormal KIT-driven signaling linked to multiple cancer types, using splice-switching and targeted molecular approaches. Hoth says the strategy aims to selectively affect disease-related cells while limiting the systemic toxicity often associated with conventional cancer therapies.
China is viewed as a strategically important jurisdiction for oncology intellectual property, given the rapid expansion of its biopharmaceutical market and increasing uptake of cancer treatments. The new patent could strengthen Hoth’s position in future partnering or licensing discussions.
The approval stems from a PCT international application and covers systems and methods for targeting KIT to induce apoptosis, further reinforcing Hoth Therapeutics’ global intellectual property portfolio in precision oncology.