60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals to Sponsor Pilot Study of Tafenoquine for Treatment of Canine Babesiosis

• Study to be conducted by North Carolina State University in 2024
  
• Standard of care fails in 20 percent of cases and drug resistance is a problem
• Standard of care is expensive
  

WASHINGTON, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (or the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for infectious diseases, announced today that the Company will sponsor a pilot study of tafenoquine, the active molecule in its U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved human malaria prevention medication, ARAKODA, for the treatment of babesiosis in dogs. The study will support a broader effort now being led by 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals to evaluate tafenoquine for various babesiosis indications.

Tafenoquine has not been proven to be effective for treatment or prevention of canine babesiosis and is not approved by the FDA for such an indication.

About the Tafenoquine for Canine Babesiosis Pilot Study
The study will involve an evaluation of a three-day loading dose followed by weekly dosing for a month in dogs recruited in veterinary clinics across the United States. The study has been approved by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) ethics committee. No dogs will be harmed in this study. Efficacy will be monitored via episodic PCR testing, and results are expected in 12 months. The pilot study of tafenoquine for treatment of canine babesiosis will be conducted by North Carolina State University this year.

About Canine Babesiosis
Canine babesiosis, caused by the protozoan, Babesia, is an emerging infection of dogs. Several thousand dogs may be treated each year in the U.S. This emergence may be related to increasing ticks (range expansion and abundance) and dog importation. Specific breeds (i.e. some members of the Terrier group, Greyhounds) are at increased risk of infection. Dogs can have subclinical disease (i.e. no clinical signs) or illness that ranges from mild (e.g. lethargy, reduced appetite) to severe (e.g. pallor and weakness related to anemia). Severe disease can result in death. Infection is spread through tick bites and exposure to infected dog blood. Infected dogs, even those without clinical signs, can spread the infection to other dogs, particularly in kennels.