BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, is pleased to inform shareholders of published Host Defense Protein/Peptide (HDP) basic research insights that reinforce the therapeutic potential of Brilacidin, the Company’s novel HDP-mimetic drug candidate.
Brilacidin has been successfully evaluated in mid-stage clinical studies in three different indications: Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection (Phase 2b, intravenously administered); Oral Mucositis (Phase 2, oral rinse); and Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept, retention enema). Extension of Brilacidin as a topical agent into dermatological diseases, such as Atopic Dermatitis, also is planned. In July 2019, Brilacidin was licensed to Italy’s Alfasigma S.p.A for local treatment of Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis. During development and with successful commercialization, milestone-based payments totaling $24 million, plus royalties, would be paid to Innovation.
Of note in the academic literature is an emphasis on various mechanistic functions and roles that make HDP-based drug candidates, like Brilacidin, so promising. One article concludes:
The multi-faceted nature of HDPs and their ability to influence a wide range of biological processes opens the door to expanding our understanding of other activity landscapes within the chemical space of HDPs. As our understanding of these other activity types improves, and the mechanistic details underpinning these other processes are laid bare, this will undoubtedly lead to the development of HDP based drugs that are effective against infectious diseases as well as inflammatory conditions.
“It’s extremely rewarding to see extensive academic research on HDP mechanisms continue to be published that supports Brilacidin’s broad therapeutic potential,” said Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. “As many Pharmas are starting to realize based on our partnering interactions, HDPs represent a potentially transformative drug class, with Brilacidin clearly the leading example. Should Brilacidin gain regulatory approval, hundreds of thousands of patients may one day benefit from its use.”
To the point that the Company’s HDP franchise has the potential to treat a broad spectrum of diseases and conditions, further information can be found in a blog posted on the Company’s website providing some color to the opportunity, as supported by recent literature:
- “Literature Supporting Therapeutic Potential of Host Defense Peptide/Protein (HDP)-Based Drug Candidates Such as Brilacidin”
http://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2019/10/8/literature-supporting-therapeutic-potential-of-host-defense-peptide-protein-hdp-based-drug-candidates-such-as-brilacidin
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About Innovation Pharmaceuticals
Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPIX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a world-class portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, infectious disease, and dermatologic diseases. Brilacidin, a versatile compound with broad therapeutic potential, is in a new chemical class called defensin-mimetics. A Phase 2 trial of Brilacidin as an oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in patients with Head and Neck Cancer, met its primary and secondary endpoints, including reducing the incidence of SOM. The Company plans to advance Brilacidin oral rinse into Phase 3 development, subject to available financial resources. Positive results were also observed in a Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial treating patients locally with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS). Brilacidin for UP/UPS was licensed to Alfasigma S.p.A. in July 2019. A Phase 2b trial of Brilacidin showed a single intravenous dose of the drug delivered comparable outcomes to a seven-day dosing regimen of the FDA-approved blockbuster daptomycin in treating Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection. Kevetrin is a novel anti-cancer drug shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the “Guardian Angel Gene” due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial in Ovarian Cancer. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning the future execution of a definitive agreement with a global pharmaceutical company and the anticipated terms thereof, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, and markets, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Company’s actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “estimates,” “looks,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “goal,” “potential,” “may,” “suggest,” and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Company’s need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock under securities purchase agreements; the fact that the Company’s licensee(s) may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing and the Company will not receive milestone payments, or the fact that the Company’s compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.