SAN DIEGO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX), a biotechnology company using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop drug-Fc conjugate (DFC) immunotherapies designed to save lives and improve the standard of care for patients facing serious diseases, today announced the first subjects dosed in the Phase 2b NAVIGATE trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CD388 for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of influenza during the current flu season.
The Phase 2b clinical trial is a randomized, double blind, controlled trial targeting 5,000 healthy unvaccinated adult subjects who are not at risk of complications from influenza. Three CD388 dose groups or placebo will be administered to subjects as a single dose at the beginning of the influenza season. Subjects will then be followed for the remainder of the influenza season to monitor for breakthrough cases. Rates of laboratory and clinically confirmed influenza will be compared between subjects receiving the various single doses of CD388 or placebo. The study will include sites in the US and UK.
"Effective new options are needed to prevent influenza, particularly for people who do not respond well to seasonal flu vaccines," said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara Therapeutics. "Since CD388 is not a vaccine, its activity does not rely upon an immune response and is thereby expected to work regardless of immune status. In addition, CD388 has demonstrated the potential to prevent infection by both seasonal and pandemic strains of influenza A and B. We are pleased to reach this important milestone, and look forward to monitoring the progress of the NAVIGATE study as this year's flu season unfolds."
About CD388
CD388 is an investigational drug-Fc conjugate (DFC) comprised of multiple copies of a potent small molecule neuraminidase inhibitor stably conjugated to a proprietary Fc fragment of a human antibody. DFCs are not vaccines or monoclonal antibodies but are low molecular weight biologics which are designed to function as long-acting small molecule inhibitors. CD388 was designed to provide universal protection against all known strains of seasonal and pandemic influenza with the potential to provide season-long protection with a single subcutaneous or intramuscular administration. Importantly, because CD388 is not a vaccine, its activity is not reliant on an immune response and thereby is expected to be efficacious in individuals regardless of immune status. More information can be found at: https://www.cidara.com/cloudbreak/influenza/.
About Cidara Therapeutics
Cidara Therapeutics is using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop novel drug-Fc conjugates (DFCs) comprising targeted small molecules or peptides coupled to a proprietary human antibody fragment (Fc). Cidara's lead DFC candidate, CD388, is a long-acting antiviral designed to achieve universal prevention of seasonal and pandemic influenza with a single dose by directly inhibiting viral proliferation. In June 2023, CD388 was granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Company plans to advance CD388 into a Phase 2b trial in the 2024 Northern Hemisphere influenza season. Additional DFCs have been developed for oncology and in July 2024 Cidara received IND clearance for CBO421 which will be developed to target CD73 in solid tumors. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.cidara.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "anticipates," "expect," "may," "believe," "plan," or "will". Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements related to plans and timing for the Phase 2b NAVIGATE clinical trial for CD388, including the speed of patient enrollment and the frequency of influenza infections observed. Such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, such as unanticipated delays in or negative results from Cidara's preclinical or clinical trials, unanticipated impacts of the workforce reduction, difficulties in obtaining potential partners or other obstacles to clinical development. These and other risks are identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in Cidara's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other filings subsequently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management's assumptions and estimates as of such date. Cidara does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Brian Ritchie
LifeSci Advisors
(212) 915-2578
britchie@lifesciadvisors.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Fitzhugh
LifeSci Communications
mfitzhugh@lifescicomms.com
