Oral mucositis is a common and devastating complication from chemotherapy and radiotherapy suffered by more than 2 million cancer patients every year.
Destiny Pharma plc, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development of novel medicines that can prevent life-threatening infections, has started a new research program on the condition.
The research study will be conducted in the US by oral mucositis (OM) expert Stephen Sonis, and will investigate the potential of XF-73 as a preventive medicine to alleviate suffering from OM in patients receiving cancer treatment by testing its efficacy in the gold-standard model of OM.
The potential utility of XF-73 in this indication is due to the association between the development of OM and changes in the oral microbiome.
The antimicrobial properties of XF‑73 have already been demonstrated in phase 2 clinical trials. As well as having fast-acting antimicrobial activity and a novel mechanism of action, XF-73 has an excellent safety profile and a lack of systemic exposure which means that it is ideally suited for development as an innovative oral formulation to reduce the severity of OM.
Inflammation of the mucosa (mucositis) is considered one of the most serious non-hematological complications of cancer treatment and a common dose-limiting complication of high-dose radiotherapy and chemotherapy in cancer and bone marrow transplant patients of all ages.
Oral mucositis
Globally, more than two million cancer patients suffer from OM each year.
Oral mucositis is probably the most common, debilitating complication of cancer treatments, particularly chemotherapy and radiation. It can lead to several problems, including pain, nutritional problems as a result of inability to eat, and increased risk of infection due to open sores in the mucosa.
Despite its frequency and devastating impact, there are few approved preventive or treatment options available to help patients suffering from OM.
Neil Clark, CEO of Destiny Pharma, said: “Oral mucositis is a very serious condition affecting millions of cancer patients across the world and is poorly treated by current products. A successful preventative product will save healthcare costs and improve patient care whilst supporting a stronger patient to complete their full course of treatment and thereby make a significant contribution to improved clinical outcomes. This new project utilizes the unique profile of our XF platform in a new cancer related indication and we look forward to testing its potential in gold-standard OM models.”