Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies for serious pulmonary diseases, today announced a new drug candidate, PUR1900, an inhaled anti-infective to treat fungal infections associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). PUR1900 is the lead product candidate in the Company's proprietary pipeline that is strategically focused on developing innovative, first-in-class inhaled therapies for rare pulmonary diseases.
"Fungal lung diseases affect millions of people worldwide and thus represent a large and growing public health issue," said Richard Moss, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University. "Current anti-fungal therapies for lung disease are limited in both safety and efficacy, so new agents and methods, such as PUR1900, safely delivering effective agents directly to the lung address a significant and important unmet medical need."
PUR1900 is a dry powder formulation of a large, complex anti-fungal compound that can be administered at high therapeutic dose to the lung while minimizing systemic side effects; in contrast, oral anti-fungal medicines that have limitations in patients with CF due to long treatment regimen and serious systemic side effects. In addition to patients with CF, PUR1900 also has potential applications in other immunocompromised patients who have fungal infections associated with their diseases. Pulmatrix plans to present further details about the structure and composition of PUR1900, as well as pre-clinical data, at a scientific meeting later this year.
"We are excited to advance PUR1900 toward the clinic to address the need for effective anti-fungal therapy for patients with CF. We believe iSPERSE can achieve this goal as a first-in-class product. Beyond our program in CF patients, there is also the potential for PUR1900 to prevent fungal infections in a broader population of immunocompromised patients who are underserved today," said Robert Clarke, Ph.D., President and CEO of Pulmatrix. "We see tremendous unmet medical needs in rare pulmonary diseases where the advanced capabilities of our iSPERSE technology can enable inhaled therapies that treat at the site of disease in the lung. We are dedicated to advancing these therapies to improve the lives of patients with rare pulmonary diseases, such as CF and IPF."
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