Destiny Pharma plc (AIM: DEST ) unveiled that its XF-73 Phase 2b clinical trial was fully recruited by 31 December 2020, meaning it has met the target timeline previously set. 

The group has hailed the latest news on its XF-73 Phase 2b study as “another major milestone” and said it continues to look forward to announcing the study results in Q1 2021. 

The biotechnology firm which reported ‘excellent’ interim safety data in mid-2020 will release full results of this study and plan the Phase 3 clinical programme in the meantime. 

XF-73, the drug candidate from Destiny Pharma's XF platform, has already been awarded both qualifying infectious disease product (QIDP) and Fast Track status by the US FDA.  

The Company’s Phase 2b clinical trial was originally formed to test XF-73 nasal gel as a novel product preventing the incidence of post-surgical infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an infection caused by Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria. 

The trial is a 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 Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in up to 125 patients scheduled for open heart surgery.   

Shares in Destiny Pharma have almost doubled since the positive interim safety review of XF-73 phase 2b back in August 2020 to open 8.70% higher this morning following the news. 

“There is a global need for better treatments to prevent post-surgical infections in hospitals as recognized in the FastTrack status awarded to XF-73 by the US FDA,” said CEO, Neil Clark. 

He said, “There is also a significant commercial opportunity for XF-73 in the hospital setting which we estimate could generate peak annual product sales of $1 billion in the US alone.” 

Clark described 2020 as “a transformational year for Destiny Pharma” as it accelerated its strategy to build “a world leading anti-infection company with a robust pipeline.” 

“We established a biotherapeutic/microbiome pipeline alongside our existing XF platform and are now co-developing SPOR-COV as a novel, preventive treatment for COVID-19.  

We also raised £10.4 million to acquire NTCD-M3, a Phase 3 ready biotherapeutic treatment for the prevention of C. difficile infection recurrence,” he added. 

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