Destiny Pharma PLC (LON:DEST) said it is teaming up with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to find “new attributes” for its next-generation treatment.
The evaluation of NTCD-M3, which is being developed to combat Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) in the gut, will take place at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois.
It will use the hospital’s CDI research expertise to complete new preclinical studies that could support the use of NTCD-M3 in a broader patient population “and therefore strengthen the market opportunity”, Destiny said.
The research project is planned to complete in the fourth quarter. No financial terms were disclosed.
“The planned study will help Destiny Pharma refine our planning for the NTCD-M3 phase III study that we aim to start in 2022,” said Neil Clark, Destiny’s chief executive.
“There is a significant clinical and commercial opportunity for NTCD-M3 as a novel treatment to prevent the recurrence of CDI."
The company’s lead asset is a non-toxic single bacterial strain with an “excellent” safety profile that has the potential of cutting the recurrence of the infection from just under a third to 5%.
It is both convenient to take (and is complementary to the standard of care), and is low cost with a long shelf life.