Landmark data published on successful NTCD-M3 gut colonisation after fidaxomicin administration

Brighton, United Kingdom – 4 April 2023 – Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage innovative biotechnology company focused on the development of novel medicines that can prevent life-threatening infections, today announces that data generated from a C. difficile infection (CDI) model study on the ability of M3 (NTCD-M3), a non-toxigenic C. difficile strain, to successfully colonise the gut following administration of fidaxomicin has been peer-reviewed and published in Microbiology Spectrum

(https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00517-23).

As previously reported, a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients suffering CDI demonstrated that administration of NTCD-M3 shortly after the use of antibiotics to treat the initial infection, successfully reduced recurrence of CDI from 30% in placebo to 5% in treated patients. Patients had received either vancomycin or metronidazole to treat the initial toxic C. difficile infection before receiving NTCD-M3 treatment[1]. Since the end of this trial, fidaxomicin, a new antibiotic, has been added to US clinical guidelines for treating CDI[2]. It is known that fidaxomicin, and especially its active metabolite³, reside within the gut for longer, potentially inhibiting colonisation by bacteria such as NTCD-M3. This landmark publication from research completed by the Microbiology Research Laboratory at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in the US, has addressed this question by monitoring the colonisation of NTCD-M3 in an established and highly translatable CDI model following administration of fidaxomicin.

In summary, the paper concludes that NTCD-M3 is able to effectively and fully colonise the gut following fidaxomicin administration, indicating that NTCD-M3 would be effective in patients receiving this antibiotic, as well as older antibiotics, such as vancomycin and metronidazole.

Dr Bill Love, Chief Scientific Officer of Destiny Pharma, said: “This publication, authored by leading US CDI expert Dr Stuart Johnson, is a landmark for NTCD-M3, as the use of fidaxomicin is growing and it has recently been recommended by guidelines as the first choice for treatment of CDI in the US. This demonstration of successful and complete colonisation of the gut by NTCD-M3 post‑fidaxomicin, confirms that this groundbreaking live biotherapeutics product can be used alongside all currently recommended antibiotics in the treatment of this serious hospital infection.”

[1] Gerding et al. Administration of Spores of Nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile Strain M3 for Prevention of Recurrent C difficile Infection A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA May 5, 2015 Volume 313, Number 17

[2] Johnson, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA): 2021 Focused Update Guidelines on Management of Clostridioides difficile Infection in Adults. 73(5), pp.e1029–e1044.

³ Shue YK et al Safety, Tolerance, and Pharmacokinetic Studies of OPT-80 in Healthy Volunteers following Single and Multiple Oral doses Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2008;52:1391-5. Stool drug levels well above MIC of C difficile at 5 days post single dose of 200 or 300 mg.