Last checked at 
(Alliance News) - Destiny Pharma PLC on Wednesday said a study of its drug XF-73, given as a nasal gel, was associated with reduced nasal Staphylococcus aureus.
The independent phase 1 trial was conducted by the US National Institute of Health on healthy volunteers and results were published in the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. It found XF-73 to be safe and well tolerated with "minimal side effects".
Moreover, "treatment with XF-73 was also associated with a rapid reduction in nasal Staphylococcus aureus in all subjects". This is particularly significant as "nasal carriage of the bacteria is the source of the majority of post-surgical bacterial infections".
Destiny said "the same nasal formulation" used in the national health institute study is also being used in its phase 2b trial. That trial is assessing the effect of XF-73 on nasal Staphylococcus aureus in cardiac surgery patients who are at high risk of infection with Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Headline results from the phase 2b study are due "in mid-2020".
The drug maker is developing its nasal gel XF-73 formulation as a novel therapy aimed at preventing infections post-surgery, including from MRSA, as more than 80% of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA post-surgical infections results from nasal carriage of the bacteria.
Destiny Chief Executive Neil Clark said: "The full results from this positive phase one clinical study, independently conducted and sponsored by the NIH, underscores our confidence in the potential of XF-73 as a novel treatment to prevent the occurrence of post-surgical staphylococcus aureus bacterial infections which is a significant commercial opportunity.
"Importantly, there is no evidence to date suggesting that XF-73 causes bacterial resistance which is in contrast to current preventative treatments such as the application of the antibiotic mupirocin, which the use of is increasingly blunted by the rising incidence of resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus. We look forward to reporting headline data in mid-2020 from our ongoing 200 patient phase 2b trial that is assessing the ability of XF-73 to reduce nasal levels of staphylococcus aureus in patients at high risk of infection that are undergoing surgery," Clark added.
Shares in Destiny were untraded at 40.50 pence in London on Wednesday morning.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2019 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
