4D Pharma posts "exciting" development results from MicroRx

Pharmaceutical company 4D Pharma said it had made significant progress in its research efforts using its proprietary platform MicroRx.The Manchester-based outfit was able to identify candidates for the treatment of severe asthma, allergic asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.The group also identified bacteria that have "therapeutically relevant" effects in an industry standard model of multiple sclerosis.Furthermore, its pre-clinical work showed "clear efficacy" in preventing the development of multiple sclerosis.Chief scientific officer Alex Stevenson said: "These results are an exciting development in the progress of live biotherapeutics."To potentially treat a disease such as multiple sclerosis with an oral capsule of therapeutically functional bacteria would be a huge step forward in the treatment of this disease."Shares were up 3.76% to 897.5p on Tuesday at 08:32.