AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XBiotech (NASDAQ:XBIT), the world’s leading developer of next-generation True Human™ therapeutic antibodies, announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application No. 13/547,497, titled “Identifying Affinity-Matured Human Antibodies.” The patent covers XBiotech’s methods for amplifying, screening, and cloning antibody-encoding genes from human donors previously determined to possess antibodies that bind target antigens of interest. The patent further strengthens XBiotech’s novel True Human antibody technology, which harnesses natural human immunity to produce breakthrough antibody therapies for a wide range of diseases. 

John Simard, President and CEO of XBiotech, added, “Our True Human approach to identifying and isolating rare, natural antibodies from human donors is truly unique and represents a revolutionary step forward in the development and manufacturing of antibody-based immunotherapies. This new patent strengthens our intellectual property protection for our core technology platform and further enhances XBiotech’s leadership position as the world’s leading developer of next-generation antibody therapies.”

A notice of allowance from the USPTO is a written notification that a patent application has cleared internal review and is pending issuance.

About XBiotech

XBiotech is pioneering the discovery and development of targeted antibodies based on its True HumanTM technology. The company’s mission is to rethink the way antibody medicines are discovered and commercialized by advancing its robust pipeline of human antibodies for treating serious diseases such as cancer, inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases. XBiotech’s lead product, Xilonix™, is a potential breakthrough antibody therapy that is currently the subject of two pivotal clinical studies for treating patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Xilonix specifically targets and neutralizes interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1a), a molecule known to promote angiogenesis, growth and spread of tumors, as well as mediate symptoms such as metabolic dysregulation, fatigue and anxiety associated with advanced cancer. XBiotech’s True Human antibodies are cloned directly from individual donors who possess natural immunity against certain diseases. For more information, visit www.xbiotech.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including declarations regarding management’s beliefs and expectations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “expects,” “plans,” “contemplate,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “intend” or “continue” or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are subject to the disclosures set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of certain of our SEC filings. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

CONTACT: Ashley Otero
         XBiotech
         [email protected]
         512.386.2930
         
         Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.:
         
         Joshua Drumm, Ph.D. (investors)
         [email protected]
         212.375.2664
         
         Janine McCargo (media)
         [email protected]
         646.604.5150