Association for Professionals in Infection Control International Meeting -- June 27-29, Baltimore, Maryland
Work supported by grant from the National Science Foundation
RADNOR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PolyMedix, Inc. (OTC BB: PYMX), an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat life-threatening infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, presented data showing that its PolyCide® materials are active as agents for use in antimicrobial sutures. PolyCides are synthetic antimicrobial compounds that mimic the mechanism of the host defense proteins and are being developed as additives to materials and products to make them self-sterilizing. The data was presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) international meeting on June 27-29, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland.
“There is a growing need for effective and safe alternatives to impart antimicrobial properties to medical devices,” commented, Nicholas Landekic, President and Chief Executive Officer of PolyMedix. “The currently available antimicrobial suture contains triclosan, an agent which has limited coverage and to which widespread resistance has been demonstrated. Our PolyCide biomaterials have a broad spectrum of activity and a unique mechanism of action designed to make bacterial resistance much less likely to develop. We believe that our PolyCide biomaterials could play an important role in reducing the incidence of surgical site infections, a potentially serious and expensive medical problem.”
The results, presented by Dr. Richard Scott, Vice President of Research at PolyMedix, demonstrated that the PolyCide compounds have broad spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens associated with surgical site infections, and have superior bacterial killing activity over triclosan and silver nitrate, another commonly used biocidal agent. Furthermore, no evidence for the development of resistance was observed with the PolyCide materials in laboratory serial passage assays, whereas resistance to triclosan was readily demonstrated.
“These data support our continued efforts to expand the use of our PolyCide compounds to other wound care applications and medical devices to improve infection control,” commented Dr. Scott. “We are excited about these results and the opportunities to develop the PolyCide materials for antimicrobial sutures.”
The PolyCide materials, like PolyMedix’s antibiotic PMX-30063 which is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of Staphylococcus infections, are synthetic mimetics of the host-defense proteins, and employ the same mechanism of action that directly and selectively targets and disrupts the bacterial cell membrane. Host defense proteins represent one of the oldest and most effective antimicrobial defense systems found in humans and virtually all living creatures.
This research was supported by a grant PolyMedix received from the National Science Foundation to support the development of antimicrobial sutures (NSF SBIR Award 1013835). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Science Foundation.
About PolyMedix, Inc.
PolyMedix is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on the development of novel drugs for the treatment of serious infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders. PolyMedix uses a rational drug design approach to create non-peptide, small-molecule drug candidates. PolyMedix’s lead antibiotic compound, PMX-30063, is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial for treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (ABSSSI) caused by Staph, including MRSA. PMX-30063 is a small-molecule that mimics the mechanism of action of human host defense proteins, a mechanism that is distinct from currently approved antibiotic drugs and is intended to make bacterial resistance unlikely to develop. PolyMedix’s lead heptagonist compound, PMX-60056, is in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), such as angioplasty and stenting procedures. PMX-60056 is designed to reverse the anticoagulant activity of both heparin and low molecular weight heparins (LMWH). PolyMedix believes that PMX-60056 could potentially be a safer and easier to use anticoagulant reversing agent, with broader activity, than the currently approved therapy for reversing heparin and LMWH. In addition to its small molecule therapeutics, PolyMedix is developing PolyCide®, antimicrobial materials for use in paints, plastics, and textiles and other materials to create self-sterilizing products and surfaces. For more information, please visit our website at www.polymedix.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause PolyMedix’s actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward looking statements. PolyMedix 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 PolyMedix’s need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development, and the fact that PolyMedix’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 PolyMedix’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. PolyMedix 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.
CONTACT:
PolyMedix, Inc.
Lisa Caperelli
Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
484-598-2406
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Maryland Pennsylvania
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical Research Science
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