Ad-Hoc Release detail page

Allschwil, Switzerland, April 17, 2019

Polyphor presents new data at ECCMID from its lead antibiotic murepavadin and the new OMPTA POL7306
 

- Murepavadin to be more potent than standard of care anti-Pseudomonas antibiotics against multidrug and colistin resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

- Clinical development candidate POL7306 demonstrates potent bactericidal activity against a large collection of Gram-negative organisms including WHO priority 1 Gram-negative pathogens and shows a low propensity of resistance development in-vitro.

Polyphor AG (SIX: POLN) presented new data on its lead clinical antibacterial candidate, murepavadin, currently in Phase III, and its preclinical medium-spectrum anti Gram-negative antibiotic POL7306 at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The results from an in-vitro study, which investigated the activity of murepavadin and standard of care antibiotics* against a collection of 495 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) recent clinical isolates, including 179 strains resistant to colistin, demonstrated that murepavadin was more potent than the comparator anti-Pseudomonas antibiotics tested and showed potent activity against colistin-resistant clinical isolates of PA. Murepavadin is the most advanced Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotic (OMPTA) and is currently in Phase III clinical trials.

Polyphor also presented data from different studies on its new medium-spectrum antibiotic POL7306 from its OMPTA class with a novel mechanism of action, which is in preclinical development for the treatment of infections caused by antimicrobial resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Results demonstrated that POL7306 shows a potent activity against a large collection of Gram-negative organisms collected worldwide that include colistin-resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and extended spectrum beta-lactamase- and carbapenemase-producing isolated for which there are currently limited treatment options. The spectrum of activity includes all Gram negative ESKAPE** and WHO priority 1 Gram-negative pathogens**. In addition, POL7306 demonstrated potent in vivo activity and has shown a low propensity of resistance development.

"We are encouraged by the strong activity of our new OMPTA class of antibiotics which have the potential to provide new treatment opportunities against resistant Gram-negative pathogens for which there are currently limited treatment options," commented Daniel Obrecht, Chief Scientific Officer of Polyphor. "The in vitro study of murepavadin is a further confirmation of the excellent antimicrobial activity in multiple and extensively drug resistant (MDR/XDR), including colistin resistant strains. Thanks to the financial support from the Novo REPAIR Impact Fund and CARB-X, we were able to select a further antibiotic of the OMPTA class and accelerate the preclinical programs which have the potential to target all WHO priority 1 Gram-negative pathogens**."

* Including Aztreonam, Cefepime, Ceftazidime, Ceftazidime / Avibactam, Ciprofloxacin, Piperacilline / Tazobactam, Doripenem, Gentamicin, Ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, Levofloxacin, Tobramycin

** WHO priority 1 pathogens: carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.

For further information please contact:

For Investors:
Kalina Scott
Chief Financial Officer
Polyphor Ltd.
Tel: +41 61 567 16 67
Email: IR@polyphor.com

For Media:
Alexandre Müller
Dynamics Group AG
Tel: +41 43 268 32 31
Email: amu@dynamicsgroup.ch

About Murepavadin (POL7080)
Murepavadin is Polyphor's most advanced product candidate and the first OMPTA in clinical development. It is being developed for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia (including both hospital-acquired (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP)) due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and has been granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) and fast track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of VABP due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Murepavadin is a pathogen specific antibiotic functioning through a novel mechanism of action involving binding to an outer membrane protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In contrast to commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics, murepavadin is a precision medicine and as such it supports the growing practice known as "antibiotic stewardship" which, among other things, seeks to reduce the excessive use of broad-spectrum products to avoid the buildup of resistance and to preserve the microbiome of the patients. Based on promising Phase II results, Polyphor has agreed on a streamlined development pathway for murepavadin with the FDA and EMA and has started its Phase III clinical program.

About Polyphor
Polyphor is a clinical stage, Swiss biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of antibiotics and immuno-oncology compounds. It has discovered and is developing the OMPTA (Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics). The OMPTA are potentially the first new class of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria to have reached phase III stage in the last 50 years. The company's lead OMPTA, murepavadin, (POL7080) is in Phase III development against Pseudomonas aeruginosa - recognized as a critical priority 1 pathogen by WHO; in addition, Polyphor is developing a pipeline of further preclinical antibiotics based on its OMPTA platform. In addition, Polyphor is developing an immuno-oncology candidate, balixafortide (POL6326), which is starting a Phase III trial in combination with eribulin in patients with advanced breast cancer, and exploring in parallel its potential for further combinations and indications. Polyphor is based in Allschwil near Basel and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: POLN). For more information, please visit www.polyphor.com.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the Polyphor management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular Polyphor's results, financial situation, and performance. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this communication. Polyphor disclaims any intention or obligation to update and revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.