ContraFect Announces Multiple Publications Highlighting the Potential Utility of Lysins for the Treatment of Bone and Joint Infections

YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq: CFRX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of direct lytic agents (DLAs), including lysins and amurin peptides, as new medical modalities for the treatment of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections, announces today the publication of an editorial in the discussing the potential for each of the Company’s lysins, exebacase and CF-296, as additional agents in the treatment armamentarium against bone and joint infections (BJIs) due to their in vitro activity against coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), the bacteria most frequently involved in implant-associated BJIs, and their potential for both local and systemic anti-biofilm activity. The authors conclude that these advantages could compensate for the treatment challenges with current antibiotic treatments against staphylococcal BJIs alone.

A second publication in , a leading peer reviewed journal dedicated to the study of treatments for infectious diseases, presents the results from a study evaluating the in vitro activity of exebacase against biofilms formed by clinical strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), a CoNS species, commonly isolated from patients with prosthetic joint infections. Exebacase displayed significant anti-biomass and bactericidal activity against S. epidermidis biofilms, as well as synergistic effects in addition to rifampicin, vancomycin, and daptomycin.

“The activity we have seen with exebacase in vitro, in vivo, and in compassionate use cases as recently presented by Dr. Tristan Ferry of Hôspices Civils de Lyon in Lyon, France at the 40th Annual Meeting of the European Bone and Joint Infection Society, provides a complete picture of the potential impact exebacase could have for patients suffering from osteomyelitis and prosthetic joint infections, which are particularly difficult-to-treat with current standard of care antibiotic agents,” stated Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., ContraFect’s President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman. “Prosthetic joint infections are particularly problematic, often requiring joint removal and reimplantation. As noted in the editorial, no randomized clinical trials in the field of BJIs have been completed. Given the strength of the data we have accumulated to date, we believe a randomized clinical study of exebacase in patients with chronic or recurrent prosthetic joint infections caused by MRSA or S. epidermidis could be the first blinded and randomized trial in this field,” added Dr. Pomerantz.

About ContraFect:

ContraFect is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of DLAs, including lysins and amurin peptides, as new medical modalities for the treatment of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections. An estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide each year are attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections. We intend to address life threatening infections using our therapeutic product candidates from our platform of DLAs, which include lysins and amurin peptides. Lysins are a new class of DLAs which are recombinantly produced antimicrobial proteins with a novel mechanism of action associated with the rapid killing of target bacteria, eradication of biofilms and synergy with conventional antibiotics. Amurin peptides are a novel class of DLAs which exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, including P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Enterobacter species. We believe that the properties of our lysins and amurin peptides will make them suitable for targeting antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as MRSA and P. aeruginosa, which can cause serious infections such as bacteremia, pneumonia and osteomyelitis. We have completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of Staph aureus bacteremia, including endocarditis, with our lead lysin candidate, exebacase, which is the first lysin to enter clinical studies in the U.S. Exebacase was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of MRSA bloodstream infections, including right-sided endocarditis, when used in addition to SOC anti-staphylococcal antibiotics.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains, and our officers and representatives may make from time to time, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “promise” or similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include, without limitation, statements regarding the publications, the in vitro study results, whether the advantages of exebacase and CF-296 could compensate for the treatment challenges with current antibiotic treatments against staphylococcal BJIs alone, statements made by Dr. Pomerantz, ContraFect’s ability to discover and develop DLAs as new medical modalities for the treatment of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections, whether ContraFect will address life-threatening infections using therapeutic candidates from its DLA platform, whether lysins are a new class of DLAs which are recombinantly produced, antimicrobial proteins with a novel mechanism of action associated with the rapid killing of target bacteria, eradication of biofilms and synergy with conventional antibiotics, whether amurins are a novel class of DLAs which exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, and whether the properties of ContraFect’s lysins and amurins will make them suitable for targeting antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as MRSA and P. aeruginosa. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on ContraFect’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business, future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond ContraFect’s control, including the occurrence of any adverse events related to the discovery, development and commercialization of ContraFect’s product candidates such as unfavorable clinical trial results, insufficient supplies of drug products, the lack of regulatory approval, or the unsuccessful attainment or maintenance of patent protection and other important risks detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in ContraFect's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by ContraFect in this press release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, ContraFect expressly disclaims any obligations to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contacts:

Michael Messinger

ContraFect Corporation

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