Innovation Pharma (Formerly known as Cellceutix) Release: Final Patient Completes Treatment In Innovation Pharmaceuticals Phase II Trial Of Brilacidin For Preventing Oral Mucositis In Cancer Patients

BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announces that the last patient has completed study treatment in the Company’s Phase 2 clinical trial of Brilacidin for the prevention and treatment of severe Oral Mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing chemoradiation for Head and Neck Cancer. A total of 61 patients were enrolled in the double-blinded study.

One of the primary objectives of the study (see NCT02324335 ) is to evaluate the efficacy of Brilacidin in reducing the incidence of severe Oral Mucositis (WHO Grade =3) compared to placebo after seven weeks of study treatment. Another primary objective is to assess the safety and tolerability of Brilacidin.

Secondary objectives include evaluating the efficacy of Brilacidin in reducing the duration of severe OM (WHO Grade =3) and delaying the onset of severe OM (WHO Grade =3).

Interim results released earlier this year (see the March 27, 2017 press release) showed a markedly reduced rate of severe OM (WHO Grade = 3) in patients treated with Brilacidin while undergoing chemoradiation and who received at least 55 Gy cumulative units of radiation.

“The final patient completing study treatment in this Phase 2 clinical trial is yet another achievement in the development of Brilacidin,” commented Arthur P. Bertolino, MD PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. “Oral mucositis represents a significant treatment challenge to hundreds of thousands of patients and their team of doctors every year. Moreover, costs associated with managing OM place a substantial financial burden on our healthcare system due to a lack of safe and efficacious therapies to not only treat the condition, but prevent it. Over the coming weeks, patients will complete their per-protocol follow up visits after which time the study data will be unblinded. We believe a successful trial for this indication would be a medical breakthrough and likely generate significant interest as the market for a drug that can help prevent severe OM is estimated to be substantial.”

Oral Mucositis is a frequent, painful and debilitating complication of chemoradiation commonly manifesting in the treatment of Head and Neck Cancer. Characterized by inflammation and ulceration, patients suffering from OM are often unable to speak or eat (requiring the insertion of a feeding tube) and are more susceptible to bacterial infections, with severe cases leading to hospitalization and increased treatment costs of up to $25,000. There currently are no approved medications for the prevention of OM in this population, with only limited palliative care options available. Worldwide, the potential market for OM is expected to exceed $1 billion in the next few years.

About Brilacidin

Brilacidin is Innovation Pharmaceuticals’ lead drug candidate in its defensin mimetic franchise. Modeled after Host Defense Proteins (HDPs), the “front-line” of defense in the immune system, it is a small, non-peptidic, synthetic molecule that kills pathogens swiftly and thoroughly. Just as importantly, Brilacidin also functions in a robust immunomodulatory capacity, lessening inflammation and promoting healing. Due to its unique properties, the Company is studying Brilacidin’s effect on Oral Mucositis (under Fast Track designation) and on Ulcerative Proctitis / Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS) in Phase 2 trials. Additional trials of Brilacidin are planned in other conditions, including: Atopic Dermatitis, Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Acne. Brilacidin is also being developed under FDA’s Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation as an antibacterial product for Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection (ABSSSI)—qualifying it for Fast Track and possible Priority FDA Review and an extra 5 years of United States market exclusivity upon drug approval.

Learn more here:
http://www.ipharminc.com/brilacidin-1/

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About the Company
Headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPI), formerly Cellceutix Corporation, is publicly-traded under the company symbol “IPIX”. The Company is clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies in multiple diseases. The Company believes it has a world-class portfolio of first-in-class lead drug candidates and is now advancing them toward market approval, while actively seeking strategic partnerships. The Company’s Psoriasis drug candidate Prurisol completed a Phase 2 trial and a Phase 2b study is ongoing. Prurisol is a small molecule that acts through immune modulation and PRINS reduction. The Company’s anti-cancer drug Kevetrin successfully concluded a Phase 1 clinical trial at Harvard Cancer Centers’ Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Company has commenced a Phase 2 study in Ovarian Cancer. In the laboratory, Kevetrin has been shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the “Guardian Angel Gene” due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations. Brilacidin, a defensin mimetic compound, has shown in an animal model to reduce the occurrence of severe ulcerative Oral Mucositis (OM) by more than 94% compared to placebo. The Company is in a Phase 2 clinical trial with its novel compound Brilacidin-OM for the prevention of OM in patients with Head and Neck Cancer; interim results have shown a marked reduction in the incidence of severe OM (WHO Grade = 3). The Company’s lead antibiotic, Brilacidin, has completed a Phase 2b trial for Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection, or ABSSSI. Top-line data have shown a single dose of Brilacidin to deliver comparable clinical outcomes to the FDA-approved seven-day dosing regimen of daptomycin. Brilacidin has the potential to be a single-dose therapy for certain multi-drug resistant bacteria (“superbugs”). Topline results are now available for the Phase 2, open label Proof-of-Concept trial, treating patients with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS), two types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The Company has formed research collaborations with world-renowned research institutions in the United States and Europe, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the University of Bologna. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning projected timelines for the initiation and completion of clinical trials, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Company’s actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “estimates,” “looks,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “goal,” “potential,” “may,” “suggest,” and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Company’s need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock to Aspire Capital; the fact that the Company’s compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT
Innovation Pharmaceuticals
Leo Ehrlich
info@ipharminc.com