DEST.L Regulatory News (DEST)

Destiny Pharma plc

("Destiny Pharma" or "the Company")

Update on Phase 2b clinical study of lead asset XF-73 in the prevention of post-surgical infections 

Recruitment on track to complete by year-end and report results in early 2021

Brighton, United Kingdom - 17 September 2020 - Destiny Pharma plc (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel products to prevent life threatening infections today announces an update on it its XF-73 Phase 2b clinical study with 88 patients out of the target of 125 now recruited. There is good momentum in patient recruitment which we expect to continue into the Autumn.

The Phase 2b clinical study is recruiting patients undergoing open heart surgery in United States and Europe. Barring any further impact from COVID-19 the study is on plan to complete recruitment by the end of 2020 and report results in Q1 2021.

Neil Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Destiny Pharma, said: "We are very pleased to report a significant increase in the screening and recruitment of patients in our lead clinical study testing XF-73 as a novel product preventing the incidence of post-surgical infections such as MRSA. In the past few months we have agreed a protocol amendment with the FDA and also reported excellent interim safety data and are looking forward to completing recruitment and reporting the results."

Details of Phase 2b Study

The ongoing Phase 2b trial is a multi-centre, randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study of multiple applications of a single concentration of XF-73 nasal gel to assess the microbiological effect of XF-73 on commensal Staphylococcal aureus nasal carriage in 125 patients scheduled for open heart surgery

The Phase 2b study design is closely related to the successful 2016 clinical trial, which was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (part of the US National Institute of Health) and demonstrated the clinical efficacy of XF-73 versus placebo in reducing nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage in healthy volunteers.

For further information, please contact:

Destiny Pharma plc

Neil Clark, CEO

Shaun Claydon, CFO

pressoffice@destinypharma.com 

+44 (0)1273 704 440

Optimum Strategic Communications

Mary Clark, Shabnam Bashir, Manel Mateus

Tel: +44 (0) 203 174 1789

Email: DestinyPharma@optimumcomms.com 

finnCap Ltd (Nominated Advisor Joint Broker)

Geoff Nash /Kate Bannatyne, Corporate Finance

Alice Lane, Corporate Broking

+44 (0)20 7220 0500

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 that can prevent life threatening infections. 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 anti-microbial resistance has become a global imperative recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations, as well as the G7 and the G20 countries. Destiny Pharma is also collaborating with SporeGen® to co-develop a novel, preventative product for COVID-19. For further information, please visit https://www.destinypharma.com