ImmunoTech jumps after Japan grants patent for experimental cancer drug

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