Destiny Pharma initiates research to explore XF drug potential for CF

JP Jenkins Ltd Destiny Pharma initiates research to explore XF drug potential for CF 14-Aug-2024 / 11:20 GMT/BST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

13th Aug 2024

JPJ: DEST

ISIN: GB00BDHSP575

 

 

Destiny Pharma plc
("Destiny Pharma" or "the Company")

Destiny Pharma initiates research to explore XF drug potential for CF

 

Study to investigate the potential of XF-73 to treat MRSA infection in people with cystic fibrosis

 

Brighton, United Kingdom – 14 August 2024 – Destiny Pharma (JPJ: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialisation of novel medicines to prevent and cure life threatening infections, is pleased to announce the initiation of a research project to test a potential treatment for people with cystic fibrosis. This programme, supported in part by the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, will evaluate the potency of XF platform drugs against a range of contemporary clinical isolates of the bacterial superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) collected from the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the United States.

 

Destiny Pharma is providing the Company’s proprietary XF-73 drug to the CF Foundation National Resource Center for Microbiology at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. The studies will involve:

1. Measuring the potency of XF-73 against 33 contemporary MRSA isolates from people with CF
2. The impact of mucus, which protects MRSA from traditional antibiotic treatment, on the activity of XF-73 will also be evaluated

 

CF is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. There are nearly 40,0001 children and adults living with CF in the United States and an estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries, with a further 35% estimated to be undiagnosed2. People with CF have a dysfunctional cell membrane protein, which causes the overproduction of thick and sticky mucus. The mucus clogs airways in the lungs and traps bacteria, leading to infection, respiratory failure, and other complications. MRSA infections are much higher in people with CF than in the general population. It is now found in more than 15% of people with the disease. MRSA is resistant to multiple antibiotics, and lung infections caused by the bacteria often become long-term.