ContraFect Corporation
(Nasdaq:CFRX), a clinical-stage biotechnology
company focused on the discovery and development of biologic
therapies for life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases,
today announced that the Congressionally Directed Medical Research
Programs (CDMRP) has awarded the Company $7.2 million in funding
from the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP),
United States Army Medical Research and Development Command
(USAMRDC) over the course of three years to advance its lysin
candidate, CF-296, through IND-enabling studies after which it may
enter the clinic. CF-296 was discovered while the Company was
working on its platform of direct lytic agents (DLAs). Lysins, a
new class of DLAs, are antimicrobial biologics with a novel
mechanism of action which results in the rapid killing of target
bacteria, eradication of biofilms and synergy with conventional
antibiotics.
“We are very pleased to receive significant
funding from USAMRDC to advance our next lysin candidate, CF-296,”
said Roger J. Pomerantz, MD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of ContraFect. “This further validates our novel therapeutic
approach, using direct lytic agents, which are non-antibiotic
anti-infective agents, as a new medical modality, following the
compelling clinical data reported from our Phase 2 trial of
exebacase in patients with Staph bacteremia.”
CF-296 is an engineered variant of exebacase,
which recently demonstrated the potential to improve clinical
outcomes for patients with Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus)
bloodstream infections, particularly for those with
methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in a Phase 2 study, where
the responder rate was 43% higher in patients treated with
exebacase as compared to those patients treated with antibiotics
alone. ContraFect has found CF-296 to have rapid, potent activity
against Staph aureus and related biofilms. The grant will support
further in vitro and in vivo testing to further evaluate the
potential to develop CF-296 as a treatment for invasive bone and
joint infections caused by Staph aureus.
Cara Cassino, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and
Executive Vice President of Research and Development at ContraFect,
remarked, “Promising preclinical data suggest that CF-296 may be
suitable for development as a novel therapy for bone and joint
infections caused by Staph aureus, such as prosthetic joint
infections, which are notoriously poorly responsive to current
antibiotics, typically require surgery, and are associated with
substantial morbidity including long-term disability. We believe
direct lytic agents provide the opportunity to make meaningful
improvements to the treatment paradigm for patients infected with
antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
About ContraFect:
ContraFect is a biotechnology company focused on
discovering and developing differentiated biologic therapies for
life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, particularly
those treated in hospital settings. An estimated 700,000 deaths
worldwide each year are attributed to antimicrobial-resistant
infections. We intend to address life threatening infections using
our therapeutic product candidates from our platform of direct
lytic agents (DLAs), which include lysins and amurin peptides.
Lysins are a new therapeutic class of DLAs derived from
bacteriophage which are recombinantly produced, antimicrobial
proteins with a novel mechanism of action associated with the rapid
killing of target bacteria, eradication of biofilms and synergy
with conventional antibiotics. We believe that the properties of
our lysins will make them suitable for targeting
antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as Staph aureus and
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (P. Aeruginosa), which can cause serious
infections such as bacteremia, pneumonia and osteomyelitis. We have
clinically completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of
Staph aureus bacteremia, including endocarditis with our lead lysin
candidate, exebacase (CF-301) which is the first lysin to enter
clinical studies in the U.S.
About Exebacase (CF-301):
Exebacase (CF-301) is a recombinantly-produced
lysin (cell wall hydrolase enzyme) with potent bactericidal
activity against Staph aureus, a major cause of blood stream
infections (BSIs) also known as bacteremia. Exebacase has the
potential to be a first-in-class treatment for Staph aureus
bacteremia. It has a novel, rapid, and specific mechanism of
bactericidal action against Staph aureus. By targeting a conserved
region of the cell wall that is vital to bacteria, resistance is
less likely to develop to exebacase. In addition, in vitro and in
vivo experiments have shown that exebacase is highly active against
biofilms which complicate Staph aureus infections. Exebacase was
licensed from The Rockefeller University and is being developed at
ContraFect.
About the USAMRDC Grant:
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition
Activity, 839 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the
awarding and administering acquisition office. The work is
supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs,
through the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program-Broad
Agency Announcement for Extramural Medical Research under Award No.
W81XWH-19-1-0139. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and
recommendations herein are those of the author and are not
necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense. In the conduct
of research, the investigator adheres to the laws of the United
States and regulations of the Department of Agriculture, NIH
Guidelines for research involving recombinant DNA molecules and the
CDC-NIH Guide for Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
Laboratories.
Forward-Looking
Statements:
This press release contains, and our officers
and representatives may make from time to time, “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws.
Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as
“projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,”
“expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,”
“potential,” “promise” or similar references to future periods.
Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include,
without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s ability to
discover and develop differentiated biological therapies for
life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, the Company’s
ability to address life threatening infections using its
therapeutic product candidates from its DLA platform which includes
lysins and amurins, whether lysins are a new therapeutic class of
DLAs derived from bacteriophage which are recombinantly produced,
antimicrobial biologics with a novel mechanism of action associated
with the rapid killing of target bacteria, eradication of biofilms
and synergy with conventional antibiotics, whether the USAMRDC
funding is significant, it validates the Company’s approach of
using DLAs as a new medical modality, and whether that approach is
novel, whether the Phase 2 clinical data is compelling, whether
exebacase demonstrated the potential to improve clinical outcomes
for patients with Staph aureus bloodstream infections, particularly
for those with MRSA in a Phase 2 study, whether CF-296 has rapid,
potent activity against Staph aureus and related biofilms, whether
the grant will support in vitro and in vivo testing to further
evaluate the potential to develop CF-296 as a treatment for
invasive bone and joint infections caused by Staph aureus,
including prosthetic joint infections, whether CF-296 preclinical
data is promising, whether DLAs provide the opportunity to make
meaningful improvements to the treatment paradigm for patients
infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, whether the properties
of the Company’s lysins will make them suitable for targeting
antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as Staph aureus and P.
aeruginosa, whether exebacase has the potential to be a
first-in-class treatment for Staph aureus bacteremia, whether
exebacase is highly active against biofilms which complicate Staph
aureus infections and whether the Company actually receives the
$7.2 million. Forward-looking statements are statements that are
not historical facts, nor assurances of future performance.
Instead, they are based on ContraFect’s current beliefs,
expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business,
future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and
trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because
forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject
to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that
are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond ContraFect’s
control, including those detailed in ContraFect's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from
those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Important
factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among
others, our ability to develop treatments for drug-resistant
infectious diseases. Any forward-looking statement made by
ContraFect in this press release is based only on information
currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is
made. Except as required by applicable law, ContraFect expressly
disclaims any obligations to publicly update any forward-looking
statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to
time, whether as a result of new information, future developments
or otherwise.
Investor Relations
Contacts:
Michael MessingerContraFect CorporationTel: 914-207-2300Email:
mmessinger@contrafect.com
Lauren StivalStern Investor RelationsTel: 212-362-1200Email:
lauren.stival@sternir.com
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