BEVERLY, Mass., Jan. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals, (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today presented additional secondary endpoint topline results from the Company's randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 clinical trial of Brilacidin (see NCT02324335) for the prevention and control of Oral Mucositis (OM) in patients receiving chemoradiation for treatment of Head and Neck Cancer.

Previously released results from the study showed the use of Brilacidin-OM met its primary endpoint with a clearly reduced incidence of severe OM (SOM) (WHO Grade ≥ 3) compared to placebo. Brilacidin-OM is being developed with global patent protections under an FDA Fast Track designation for this indication.

Summary of Key Secondary Endpoints Analysis

• Onset of Severe Oral Mucositis: Based on Kaplan-Meier curves, Brilacidin-OM oral rinse showed a clear separation from placebo in delaying the onset of SOM—particularly the period from approximately 28-42 days, after the initiation of treatment, during which the incidence of SOM rose strikingly in the placebo group while not in the group being treated with Brilacidin. The delay of onset of SOM data further support the positive primary endpoint findings that showed a clear reduction in the incidence of SOM in patients receiving Brilacidin-OM treatment. Our updated Corporate Overview, with a visual display of the Kaplan-Meier curves, is now available (pdf) on the Company’s website.
   
• Duration of Severe Oral Mucositis: Given that Brilacidin-OM successfully prevented SOM from occurring, as well as delayed its onset, in a substantial number of patients, data comparisons aimed at assessing potential reduction in the duration of SOM were constrained by the fewer number of Brilacidin-OM treated patients that could be included in such analysis. While Brilacidin-OM appeared to decrease the initial duration of SOM (time from the initial WHO Grade ≥ 3 to the first WHO Grade ≤ 2 OM assessment), detailed interpretation of this and other duration data comparisons were limited.  

“The notable effect of Brilacidin-OM in delaying the onset of SOM in patients—on top of preventing it—further substantiates the drug candidate’s potential to emerge as a highly efficacious, safe and easy-to-administer preventative medicine for this notoriously painful and difficult-to-treat condition,” said Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. “That Brilacidin performed so well in this clinical trial puts us in an extremely advantageous position in both a competitive and regulatory sense. The unmet medical need in OM is tremendous and we look forward to advancing Brilacidin-OM toward possible market approval, which would help improve the lives of so many cancer patients.”

The Company is now working to complete the Clinical Study Report (CSR). The CSR is central for engaging with the FDA to further discuss program development, and is also an important component for informing already advanced OM partnership discussions. In Brilacidin-OM, based on the strong positive Phase 2 clinical results, the Company believes it has a highly promising and unique late-stage OM drug candidate that, with approval, could assume the leadership position in a market with untapped economic potential. The global OM market is expected to exceed $1 billion in the next few years.

Biotech Showcase Details

The Company will be presenting at the 2018 Biotech Showcase Investor and Networking Conference, held January 8-10, in San Francisco, as detailed below:

Date: Monday, January 8, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM PST
Track: Yosemite - C (Ballroom Level)

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/

About Brilacidin-OM

Innovation Pharmaceuticals’ first-in-class immunomodulatory drug candidate, Brilacidin, targets the prevention of severe Oral Mucositis (OM)—a common and debilitating side-effect of receiving chemoradiation therapy—in Head and Neck Cancer. Each year, OM affects hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. Only a limited number of OM treatments are available, most of which are palliative in nature. A Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of Brilacidin-OM (see NCT02324335) has been recently completed in which topline results demonstrate a reduced rate of severe OM (WHO Grade >3) in patients treated with Brilacidin-OM compared to those on placebo.

About Oral Mucositis

Oral Mucositis (OM) is a frequent, painful and debilitating complication of chemoradiation. Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients—comprising an estimated 65,000 newly diagnosed cases in the U.S. alone in 2017, and an estimated 700,000 worldwide (source: GLOBOCAN)—are at the greatest risk of developing OM (a 90 to 100 percent rate of occurrence). By 2030, the global incidence of HNC cases is expected to exceed 1 million per year. Moreover, between 25 and 60 percent of cancer patients, regardless of cancer type, also will experience OM. Characterized by inflammation and ulceration, patients suffering from OM are often unable to speak and eat (requiring the insertion of a feeding tube) and are more susceptible to infections, with severe cases leading to hospitalization at increased treatment costs of up to $25,000. There currently are no approved medications for the prevention of OM in the HNC 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.

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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 the Company has since conducted a Phase 2b study, with topline results expected in 1Q2018. 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 has recently completed a Phase 2 clinical trial with its novel compound Brilacidin-OM for the prevention of OM in patients with Head and Neck Cancer; topline results demonstrate a 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. The Phase 2b data showed 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”). Results are now available for the completed 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