PUR0400 Drug Formulation For Cystic Fibrosis (CF), non-CF Bronchiectasis Shows Promise In Recent Trial

Lexington, Massachusetts-based Pulmatrix made an impact at the 2014 Respiratory Drug Delivery Conference being held in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. A poster from the biotechnology company presented data related to PUR0400 (fluoroquinilone Levofloxac), a preclinical drug candidate formulated using Pulmatrix’s proprietary iSPERSE™ dry powder technology. PUR0400 is a drug formulation that is being designed to combat infections in lung diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis.

The iSPERSE platform is an engineered particle technology that efficiently delivers drugs to the lungs in a flow rate independent manner. Data presented show that formulating PUR0400 in this way increases the stability of the drug during storage and endows the drug with desirable physical and aerosol properties. According to David Hava, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Pulmatrix, “The PUR0400 data highlight an advantage of the iSPERSE technology over conventional dry powder technologies in the stable formulation of high drug loads for lung delivery. Together with a robust preclinical data package using a number of different antibiotics, these data provide the support for continued development of inhaled antibiotic formulations in a number of respiratory diseases.”

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The main diseases targeted for PUR0400 are cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. “The development of PUR0400 marks a significant step for the company in advancing multiple iSPERSE programs towards clinical testing,” said Robert Clarke, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Pulmatrix, in a news story. “These data significantly advance our understanding of our novel platform technology and highlight our ability to formulate high drug load products in a format that avoids liquid nebulization and is convenient to patients.”

Lung infections for CF patients can be deadly. Read about how [adrotate banner=”12″] can help!