AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation Granted European Patent For Bacteriophage Therapy To Fight Biofilm-related Bacterial Infections

RICHMOND, Va. & LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, & SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmpliPhi BioSciences Corporation (OTCQB:APHB), the global leader in developing bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapies to treat drug resistant infections, today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted European patent no. EP 2570130, “Bacteriophage-containing Therapeutic Agents”. Three related patents have been issued in the United States (U.S. Patent Nos. 7,807,149, 8,105,579, and 8,388,946), the earliest of which was previously granted in 2010.

“Such a treatment regime, if confirmed, could be extremely important in the battle to address the rise of antibiotic resistance and, in particular to treat infections present in biofilms which are often refractory to existing treatments”

The claims of the European patent cover various bacteriophage preparations for use in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of biofilm-related infections caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The patent claims protect the Company’s proprietary methods of bacteriophage-based treatment of bacterial infection characterized by biofilms where P. aeruginosa is present, covering the application of one or more bacteriophage preparations which target and kill P. aeruginosa in the biofilm, followed by antibiotic treatment once bacteriophage replication is established. Examples of specific treatment regimens covered include the treatment of human and animal infections resulting from a skin burn or skin wound, lung infections such as hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) and cystic fibrosis (CF), urinary tract infection (UTI) or an infection associated with a medical device or implant. Such infections are difficult to treat as they are often resistant to antibiotic therapy.

AmpliPhi is currently developing AmpliPhage-001, a proprietary mixture of bacteriophage targeting P. aeruginosa infections in patients with CF. In collaboration with the Royal Brompton NHS Hospital London, AmpliPhage-001 is expected to enter clinical studies next year.

Jeremy Curnock Cook, CEO and Chairman of AmpliPhi said: “Preliminary indications from experiments have indicated that treatment with our bacteriophage preparations before antibiotics are administered may be able to restore the effectiveness of antibiotics that were previously ineffective”. He continued “Such a treatment regime, if confirmed, could be extremely important in the battle to address the rise of antibiotic resistance and, in particular to treat infections present in biofilms which are often refractory to existing treatments”.

About AmpliPhi BioSciences

AmpliPhi BioSciences Corporation (OTCQB:APHB) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapeutics. The Company’s product development programs target infections that are often resistant to existing antibiotic treatments. AmpliPhi is collaborating with a number of leading organizations, including Intrexon Corporation (NYSE:XON), the U.S. Army, The Royal Brompton Clinic in London, UK and UK-based University of Leicester, to rapidly advance bacteriophage-based therapies. The Company is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia with additional manufacturing and research operations in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Sydney, Australia.

For more information, visit www.ampliphibio.com.

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 about the potential use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections, including infections in biofilms and infections that do not respond to antibiotics, the development of bacteriophage-based therapies and AmpliPhi’s clinical, research and development plans are forward looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties, including without limitation the risk that such therapies may not be successfully developed, will require extensive and expensive nonclinical and clinical testing, may not be safe or efficacious, and may not be approved for marketing by the United States Food and Drug Administration or any foreign regulatory agency. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to AmpliPhi’s business in general, see AmpliPhi’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, as amended, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 12, 2014.