Destiny Pharma recruits 80% of patients for clinical study
(AIM:DEST ) has recruited 101 patients out of the target of 125 for the group’s XF-73 Phase 2b clinical study for the prevention of post-surgical infections.
The clinical stage biotechnology firm is currently recruiting patients undergoing open heart surgery in the United States and Europe to take part in the study of its lead asset, XF-73.
Subject to recruitment being slowed by the impact of COVID-19, Destiny said the study is expected to complete recruitment before the end of the year and report results in Q1 2021.
The trial is a multi-centre, randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study of multiple applications of a single concentration of XF-73 nasal gel, an experimental drug candidate.
The Phase 2b trial’s purpose is to assess the microbiological effect of XF-73 on commensal Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in 125 patients scheduled for open heart surgery.
Staphylococcus aureus is both a human skin and mucosae commensal, but also a frequent cause of serious infections with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare-associated costs.
The trial study design is related to the successful 2016 clinical trial, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, which demonstrated the clinical efficacy of XF-73 versus placebo in reducing nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage in healthy volunteers.
Shares in Destiny Pharma have more than doubled since August 2020 from 30.5p and opened this morning 3.33% lower at 72.5p following the announcement.
Destiny previously announced that it had enabled a reduction in the study size from 200 patients to 125 ‘while maintaining the statistical power of the study and its clinical value’ .
In a previous statement, the Company was keen to stress that ‘the reduced size of the study does not compromise its integrity, statistical relevance or clinical objectives.’
Due to its strong financial position, Destiny Pharma told investors that it is well funded through to Q4 2021 to complete its Phase 2 clinical development of its lead drug, XF-73.
Destiny noted the increased international support to develop anti-infective drugs to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance and said it is ‘well-positioned’ to meet this global need.
In a morning research note, Equity Development said the group “had blossomed in mid-2020, highlighting that its expanded pipeline now spans the two most contemporary issues in biotech – the microbiome and the prevention of COVID-19 infections.”
Earlier this month the group entered a collaboration agreement with SporeGen Limited to co-develop SporeGen's SPOR-COV product as a novel, preventative treatment for COVID-19.
Equity Development suggested that the chances of success for the study of XF-73 that has demonstrated nasal decolonisation in healthy volunteers ‘should be high.’ It said it anticipates that Destiny Pharma will license XF- 73 after Q1 2021 and launch in 2024.
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