Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics (CFFT), an affiliate of the CF Foundation, has provided $1.7m research award to US-based Savara Pharmaceuticals for advancing the development of AeroVanc (vancomycin hydrochloride inhalation powder).
AeroVanc is an investigational, inhaled dry powder form of vancomycin being developed by the company as a treatment for persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.
Savara Pharmaceuticals CEO Rob Neville noted the support of the CF Foundation is yet another acknowledgment that AeroVanc addresses an unmet need for people with CF suffering from MRSA infection.
"The $6 million in support that Savara has received from the CF Foundation and the National Institutes of Health not only provides critical funding to advance the AeroVanc program, but is also a strong endorsement of the quality and promise of our program," Neville added.
Savara Pharmaceuticals is currently enrolling patients at 26 CF centers across the country for its randomized, double-blind, Phase II trial of AeroVanc.
The placebo-controlled Phase II study will enroll 80 CF patients with persistent MRSA lung infection.
Primary objective of the clinical trial is to assess the efficacy of AeroVanc in reducing the quantity of MRSA colony forming units in sputum cultures.
Secondary objectives of the study are evaluation of the safety of repeat dosing with AeroVanc and the efficacy of AeroVanc in improving lung function, reducing respiratory symptoms, and prolonging the time to pulmonary exacerbations and the need for other antibiotics.
Seattle Children's Research Institute Center for Clinical and Translational Research director Dr Bonnie W Ramsey noted Savara's AeroVanc is a much needed investigational product, as none of the current inhaled antibiotics address the growing problem of MRSA infection.
"TOBI has become the cornerstone of treatment in CF, and AeroVanc has the potential to become analogous to TOBI for MRSA," Dr Ramsey added.