Destiny Pharma. Regulatory News (DEST)

Destiny Pharma plc

("Destiny Pharma" or "the Company")

New Asian (APSIC) guidelines for prevention of surgical site infections recommend decolonisation of Staphylococcus aureus in surgical patients to prevent surgical site infections

Guidelines warn of issue of antibiotic resistance highlighting the need for new approaches

Destiny Pharma's XF-73, currently in Phase 2b development with data anticipated in mid-2020, could provide rapid and effective nasal bacterial decolonisation prior to surgery

Brighton, United Kingdom - 17 December 2019 - Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel antimicrobial drugs that target clear commercial opportunities and also address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), notes that new guidelines from the Asia Pacific Society for Infection Control (APSIC) for the prevention of surgical site infections have been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. These guidelines underline the market potential of Destiny Pharma's lead product XF-73 which is in Phase 2b clinical trials testing its ability to kill Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the patient's nose prior to surgery thereby reducing the potential for serious post-surgical bacterial infections including MRSA.

Neil Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Destiny Pharma, commented:

"This new Asian review strongly supports the potential for Destiny Pharma's lead product, XF-73, to meet the guidelines' clinical recommendation to prevent post-surgical infections by decolonising whilst mitigating the emergence of AMR. Previous independent publications in the US and from the World Health Organisation already support this approach. XF-73 nasal gel is currently in a Phase 2b clinical trial in the US and Europe and we look forward to reporting results in mid-2020. There is a significant commercial opportunity for XF-73, which is estimated to have potential peak annual product sales of $1 billion in the US alone."

The APSIC guidelines also support Destiny Pharma's strategic approach in China where it has a regional collaboration with China Medical Systems, a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the sale of prescription drugs and other medicinal products to all therapeutic departments in hospitals across the China region.

Whilst the old dermal antibiotic mupirocin is often still used to achieve decolonisation of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus it is unapproved and used off-label in the US. Its use has been shown to result in the emergence of AMR and requires five days treatment prior to surgery (https://doi.org/10.2146/ajhp120568). In comparison, the novel mechanism of XF-73 has been proven to deliver rapid decolonisation with a unique no/low AMR profile within 24 hours thereby supporting the use of XF-73 in this indication as a new preventative treatment with clear advantages over current treatment options.

The full ASPIC guidelines can be found via the following link https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-019-0638-8.

About Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control

The Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC) was established in 1998 and is a multi-national, voluntary, organization dedicated to the advancement of infection control practice to reduce hospital associated infections, monitor and control emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and improved patient outcomes.

APSIC aims to bring together multidisciplinary infection control professionals in the region to share their knowledge, experience, skills, and quality improvement and research findings by facilitating the exchange of information through training courses, seminars, congresses and conferences in the Asia Pacific region.

APSIC is working towards establishing collaborative partnerships in the region to facilitate and encourage quality improvement initiatives and infection control research to promote cost effective evidence-based practices throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

For further information, please contact:

Destiny Pharma plc

Neil Clark, CEO

Shaun Claydon, CFO

pressoffice@destinypharma.com 

+44 (0)1273 704 440

FTI Consulting

Simon Conway / Victoria Foster Mitchell

destinypharma@fticonsulting.com 

+44 (0) 20 3727 1000

finnCap Ltd (Nominated Advisor Joint Broker)

Geoff Nash / Kate Bannatyne, Corporate Finance

Alice Lane, Corporate Broking

+44 (0)20 7220 000

WG Partners (Joint Broker)

Nigel Barnes / Claes Spång / Nigel Birks

+44 (0) 203 705 9330

About Destiny Pharma

Destiny Pharma is an established, clinical stage, innovative biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialisation of novel medicines from its XF Platform that represent a new approach to the treatment of infectious disease. The company's lead programme is undergoing a Phase 2b clinical trial and is targeting the prevention of post-surgical hospital infections including MRSA. The XF drug candidates are being developed for the prevention and treatment of life-threatening infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbugs". Tackling antimicrobial resistance has become a global imperative recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations, as well as the G7 and the G20 countries. For further information, please visit https://www.destinypharma.com 

About XF-73

XF-73 is a synthetic antimicrobial active against all tested Staphylococcus aureus strains, including drug‑resistant strains. By acting via a cell-surface mechanism it affects the bacterial membrane permeability and integrity, leading to cell death. XF-73 has already been through seven successful Phase 1/2a clinical trials showing it is safe and delivers a rapid antibacterial action. In standard microbiology studies XF drugs have demonstrated a unique no/low resistance profile that means that XF compounds have the potential to deliver novel drugs that are clearly differentiated from traditional antibiotics where resistance limits their utility.

XF-73 is being studied for the prevention of post-surgical staphylococcal infections. In the US, there are approximately 40 million surgeries per annum alone where the patient is at risk of a post-surgical infection. However, within this large population there are particular groups who are at an even higher risk of infection due to the nature of their surgery or the procedures and/or their specific hospital environment in which they are treated. These higher risk surgical procedures include cardiovascular, orthopaedic and other complex surgeries. Destiny Pharma estimates that this totals approximately 14 million US surgeries per year, with this figure set to rise within the context of an ageing population.