NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Motif Bio® plc (AIM:MTFB) (NASDAQ:MTFB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialising in developing novel antibiotics, today announced that the Company has received an award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to fund important in vitro testing that will help to advance the development of iclaprim for the treatment of lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This is the first award that the Company has received from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

David Huang, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Motif Bio, said:  “We are delighted to have received this award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis.  Patients with cystic fibrosis, especially in the later stages of lung disease, are often infected with multidrug resistant bacteria that severely limit treatment options. The grant will advance the work we are doing to further elucidate iclaprim’s ability to inhibit the most problematic bacteria, including multidrug resistant bacteria, that are common in patients with cystic fibrosis.”

Bacterial pathogens that infect the airways of people with CF often exhibit broad-spectrum resistance to currently available antibiotics. Many of these bacteria are inherently resistant to specific classes of antibiotics. Side effects such as nephrotoxicity and peripheral neuropathy have been reported with currently available Gram-positive antibiotics used to treat lung infections in patients with CF. In the in vitro study to be conducted with the $120,000 award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the activity of iclaprim against various strains of Burkholderia, Stenotrophomonas and Achromobacter will be determined. These bacteria are frequently present in the airways of patients with CF and many strains are resistant to common antibiotics.

Iclaprim has been studied in an animal model of chronic pulmonary methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, which mimics the pathophysiology observed in the lungs of patients with CF. These data were published in December 2017 in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (Huang, D.B., Morrissey, I., Murphy, T. et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3159-5).  Iclaprim has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus lung infections in patients with CF.

For further information please contact:

Motif Bio plc [email protected]
Graham Lumsden (Chief Executive Officer)  
Robert Dickey IV (Chief Financial Officer)  
   
Peel Hunt LLP (NOMAD & BROKER) + 44 (0)20 7418 8900
Dr Christopher Golden  
Oliver Jackson  
   
Northland Capital Partners Limited (BROKER) +44 (0)203 861 6625
David Hignell/John Howes/ Rob Rees  
   
Walbrook PR Ltd. (UK FINANCIAL PR & IR) +44 (0) 20 7933 8780 / [email protected]
Paul McManus/Helen Cresswell/Lianne Cawthorne  
   
MC Services AG (EUROPEAN IR) +49 (0)89 210 2280
Raimund Gabriel [email protected]
   
The Trout Group (US IR) +1 (646 )378-2963
Meggie Purcell [email protected]
   
Russo Partners (US PR) +1 (858) 717-2310
  +1 (212)845-4272
David Schull [email protected]
Travis Kruse, Ph.D. [email protected]

Notes to Editors

About Iclaprim 

Iclaprim is a novel investigational antibiotic that has a different and underutilised mechanism of action compared to other antibiotics. Iclaprim exhibits potent in vitro activity against Gram-positive clinical isolates of many genera of staphylococci, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Iclaprim is rapidly bactericidal, achieving 99.9% in vitro kill against MRSA within 4 to 6 hours of drug exposure versus 8 to 10 hours for vancomycin. To date, iclaprim has been studied in over 1,300 patients and healthy volunteers. In clinical studies iclaprim has been administered intravenously at a fixed dose with no dosage adjustment required in patients with renal impairment or in obese patients. The iclaprim fixed dose may, if approved, help reduce the resources required in hospitals since dosage adjustment by health care professionals is avoided and overall hospital treatment costs may be lower, especially in patients with renal impairment.

About Motif Bio

Motif Bio plc (AIM:MTFB) (NASDAQ:MTFB) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development of novel antibiotics designed to be effective against serious and life-threatening infections in hospitalised patients caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria, including MRSA. The Company’s lead product candidate, iclaprim, is being developed for high-risk MRSA patient populations. The first proposed indication, and near-term commercial opportunity, is for the treatment of ABSSSI, one of the most common bacterial infections, with 3.6 million patients hospitalised annually in the U.S. The Company believes that iclaprim may be suitable for first-line empiric therapy in ABSSSI patients, especially those with renal impairment, with or without diabetes. Unlike current standard of care antibiotics, in clinical trials to date, nephrotoxicity has not been observed with iclaprim and dosage adjustment has not been required in patients with renal impairment.

Iclaprim has an underutilised mechanism of action compared to other antibiotics.  Clinical and microbiology data indicate iclaprim has a targeted Gram-positive spectrum of activity, low propensity for resistance development, fixed dose administration and favourable tolerability profile. Additionally, data support that the inactive metabolites of iclaprim clear through the kidneys. The Company also plans to develop iclaprim for hospital acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), including ventilator associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP), as there is a high unmet need for new therapies in this indication.  A Phase 2 trial was conducted to study iclaprim in patients with HABP. Iclaprim has been studied in an animal model of pulmonary MRSA infection which mimics the pathophysiology observed in patients with cystic fibrosis. Iclaprim has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Iclaprim has received Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation from the FDA together with Fast Track status. Upon acceptance by the FDA of a New Drug Application (NDA), iclaprim will receive Priority Review status and, if approved as a New Chemical Entity, will be eligible for 10 years of market exclusivity in the US from the date of first approval, under the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now Act (the GAIN Act). In Europe, 10 years of data exclusivity is anticipated.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Words such as “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “continue,” “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Motif Bio’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Motif Bio believes that these factors include, but are not limited to, (i) the timing, progress and the results of clinical trials for Motif Bio’s product candidates, (ii) the timing, scope or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals for Motif Bio’s product candidates, (iii) Motif Bio’s ability to successfully commercialise its product candidates, (iv) Motif Bio’s ability to effectively market any product candidates that receive regulatory approval, (v) Motif Bio’s commercialisation, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy, (vi) Motif Bio’s expectation regarding the safety and efficacy of its product candidates, (vii) the potential clinical utility and benefits of Motif Bio’s product candidates, (viii) Motif Bio’s ability to advance its product candidates through various stages of development, especially through pivotal safety and efficacy trials, (ix) Motif Bio’s estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for its product candidates, and (x) the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Motif Bio plc’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on May 1, 2017, which is available on the SEC’s web site, www.sec.gov. Motif Bio plc undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.