Biotalys Granted Patents for EVOCA in Both Europe and the United States

Company Builds Global Intellectual Property Safeguards for Its Crop Protection Pipeline

Ghent, Belgium, Sept. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Biotalys (Euronext BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrols for sustainable crop protection, today announced that it obtained patents for its first biofungicide, EVOCA™*, from both the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Kevin Helash, Chief Executive Officer of Biotalys, said: “We are very pleased with the recent grants by the European and U.S. patent offices, which follow their thorough examination of our applications protecting the active ingredient of our protein-based biocontrol candidate, EVOCA. These decisions confirm the truly innovative nature of our solution and provide Biotalys with the exclusivity needed to support our commercial partners in producing or distributing EVOCA across Europe and the United States. This will ultimately benefit fruit and vegetable growers seeking to protect their crops against certain fungal diseases.”

In addition, Biotalys has requested patent protection for the product’s active ingredient in countries around the globe, such as Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa, which are compelling markets for crop protection. The company already obtained various patents worldwide on different elements of its technology and is continuously building its intellectual property protection for its products, formulations and processes.  

EVOCA is a novel protein-based biofungicide that earned an entirely new resistance classification by the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC). The product helps control fungal disease in fruits and vegetables. Demonstrating strong performance in trials across multiple regions, climates, soil types, production types, pathogen pressure and crops to date, EVOCA is currently under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Dutch College voor Toelating van Gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en Biociden (CTGB) in the European Union for regulatory approval.

EVOCA will pave the way for EVOCA NG, which is expected to be Biotalys’ first commercial fungicide from its AGROBODY™ technology platform. EVOCA and EVOCA NG have the same active ingredient which is now protected by the patent grants in Europe and the U.S.

* EVOCA™: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States, the European Union, or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale.

For further information, please contact:
Toon Musschoot, Head of Investor Relations and Communications
T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00
E: IR@biotalys.com

About Biotalys

Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and food and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY™ technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.

Important Notice

Biotalys, its business, prospects and financial position remain exposed and subject to risks and uncertainties. A description of and reference to these risks and uncertainties can be found in the annual report on the consolidated annual accounts published on the company’s website.

This announcement contains statements which are “forward-looking statements” or could be considered as such. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words ‘aim’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘anticipate’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘plan’, ‘continue’, ‘ongoing’, ‘possible’, ‘predict’, ‘plans’, ‘target’, ‘seek’, ‘would’ or ‘should’, and contain statements made by the company regarding the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are warned that none of these forward-looking statements offers any guarantee of future performance. Biotalys’ actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Biotalys makes no undertaking whatsoever to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, unless required to do so by law.