SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation (NYSEMKT: APHB), a global leader in the development of bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapies to treat drug-resistant infections, today announced that the European Patent Office has issued a decision to grant AmpliPhi patent No. 2136826, for the “Beneficial effects of bacteriophage treatments”. A corresponding patent has been granted in Australia and a species-specific patent for Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been granted in the United States. Additional patents are pending in Canada, Japan and the United States.
The claims of the patent cover the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections through the staged use of bacteriophage preparations followed by the antibiotic to which the bacteria were initially resistant. In the first stage of treatment, bacteriophage extert a strong selective pressure on the bacterial population, killing much of it, though a small portion may survive the phage onslaught by shedding genes that conferred antibiotic resistance, leaving these bacteria once again vulnerable – or resensitized – to antibiotics used in the second stage of the treatment. This phenomenon of resensitization to antibiotics following phage administration has been observed in both in vitro and in vivo experiments as well as in the case of an antibiotic-resistant bladder infection treated in Australia under a compassionate use exemption. A recent paper published by Yale scientists in Scientific Reports describes how phage can resensitize bacteria to antibiotics by forcing the bacteria to drop pumps that some antibiotic-resistant bacteria use to eliminate antibiotics before they can reach concentrations that would kill the cell. This specific bacterial response to the phage assault results in antibiotic concentrations reaching levels sufficient to cause bacterial death.
“This patent family is a key component of our strategy to protect not only our product formulations, but also how we expect to dose patients with phage to treat serious infections,” added M. Scott Salka, AmpliPhi’s CEO. “We are extremely excited by the potential to reset the clock on antibiotic resistance, thereby reinvigorating antibiotics long thought to be obsolete due to widespread bacterial resistance. We look forward to evaluating potential combination therapies using our proprietary phage cocktails and current antibiotics in order to combat the rising threat of antibiotic-resistant infections.”
About AmpliPhi Biosciences
AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation (NYSEMKT: APHB) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapeutics. AmpliPhi's product development programs target infections that are often resistant to existing antibiotic treatments. AmpliPhi is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of AB-SA01 for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in chronic rhinosinusitis patients and another Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety of AB-SA01 when administered topically to the intact skin of healthy adults. AmpliPhi expects to report final data for both trials in the second half of 2016. AmpliPhi is also developing bacteriophage therapeutics targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Clostridium difficile in collaboration with a number of leading organizations focused on the advancement of bacteriophage-based therapies.
About Bacteriophage
Bacteriophage are naturally occurring viruses that are highly specific for the bacterial hosts they infect. They can rapidly kill their host, amplifying themselves in the process. Bacteriophage are unaffected by antibiotic resistance and are able to disrupt bacterial biofilms. Such biofilms are a major line of defense for bacteria, contributing to antibiotic resistance. Bacteriophage are able to penetrate biofilms and replicate locally to high levels, to produce strong local therapeutic effects.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about the expected timing of reporting data from AmpliPhi’s two AB-SA01 trials, the potential use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections, including infections that do not respond to antibiotics, AmpliPhi’s development of bacteriophage-based therapies and the expected patent grant by the European Patent Office. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “may,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements necessarily contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based upon AmpliPhi’s current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties described in AmpliPhi’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and AmpliPhi undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.