ContraFect Invited to Present New Research Data From Its Pipeline of Direct Lytic Agents at World Microbe Forum

YONKERS, N.Y., June 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq: CFRX), a late 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, today announced multiple presentations, including two oral presentations, of data from its portfolio of DLAs at the 2021 World Microbe Forum, being held virtually from June 20-24, 2021.

“We are very pleased to share new research data demonstrating the potent in vitro and in vivo activity of both our lysin and amurin therapeutic modalities,” said Cara Cassino, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development at ContraFect. “Our findings demonstrate the breadth of antimicrobial activity of CF-370 and our other development candidates against a wide range of Gram-negative pathogens known to cause life-threatening bacterial infections. These proprietary programs expand our portfolio and complement exebacase, our lead Breakthrough Therapy candidate currently in Phase 3 for the treatment of Staph aureus bacteremia, including right-sided endocarditis. We look forward to advancing our novel investigational therapeutics towards clinical trials.”

ContraFect will deliver two oral presentations and present three posters, available on the website to registered attendees. Following the meeting, the presentation posters will be available on the .

Presentation Details:

Oral presentation title: Lysin CF-370 Exhibits Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity Against Gram-Negative (GN) ESKAPE Pathogens

Presentation day & time: June 21, 2021; 11:50 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. EDT

Session: New Agents Discovery Summary Session: Early New Antimicrobial Agents

Session day & time: June 21, 2021; 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT

Oral presentation title: Lysins: Potential to Significantly Improve Clinical Outcomes for S. aureus bacteremia

Presentation day & time: June 22, 2021; 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT

Session: The Grapes of Wrath: New Approaches to Treating Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Session day & time: June 22, 2021; 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT

Poster Details:

Poster title: Lysin CF-370 In Vivo Efficacy Against a Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Rabbit Infective Endocarditis Model

Session: AAR07 Antimicrobial Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

Poster title: Lysin CF-370 Exhibits Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity Against Gram-Negative (GN) ESKAPE Pathogens

Session: AAR08 New Antimicrobial Agents (in vitro and in vivo Studies Prior to the Start of Clinical Therapeutic Studies/pre-Phase 2)

Poster title: Amurin Peptides: New Direct Lytic Agents (DLAs) with Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity Against Gram-negative (GN) ESKAPE Pathogens

Session: AAR08 New Antimicrobial Agents (in vitro and in vivo Studies Prior to the Start of Clinical Therapeutic Studies/pre-Phase 2)

About Exebacase (CF-301):

Exebacase is a recombinantly-produced lysin (cell wall hydrolase enzyme) with potent bactericidal activity against Staph aureus, a major cause of bloodstream infections (BSIs) also known as bacteremia. In the Company’s Phase 2 study of exebacase, a pre-specified analysis of MRSA-infected patients showed that the clinical responder rate at Day 14 in patients treated with exebacase was nearly 43-percentage points higher than in patients treated with SOC antibiotics alone (74.1% for patients treated with exebacase compared to 31.3% for patients treated with SOC antibiotics alone (p=0.010)). In addition to the higher rate of clinical response, MRSA-infected patients treated with exebacase showed a 21-percentage point reduction in 30-day all-cause mortality (p=0.056), a four-day lower median length of hospital stay and meaningful reductions in hospital readmission rates. Exebacase is currently being studied in the Phase 3 DISRUPT superiority design study of exebacase in patients with Staph aureus bacteremia, including right-sided endocarditis.

Exebacase has the potential to be a first-in-class treatment for Staph aureus bacteremia. Exebacase was licensed from The Rockefeller University and is being developed at ContraFect.

About CF-370:

CF-370 is an investigational first-in-class therapeutic candidate targeting P. aeruginosa, a Gram-negative pathogen which causes infections that carry some of the highest risks of mortality among hospital acquired infections. CF-370 has been engineered to bypass the outer membrane of the bacteria and to enable potent activity in human serum. The Company believes this is a significant milestone for direct lytic agents as native lysins are typically unable to penetrate the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and consequently were not expected to be effective in animal models of Gram-negative infections or potentially viable therapeutic candidates. However, ContraFect has developed engineered lysins, such as CF-370, which is highly active against Gram-negative pathogens both in vitro and in vivo, exhibiting the core microbiologic attributes of the lysin class, including rapid and potent bactericidal activity, synergy with a broad range of standard of care agents and the eradication of biofilms in preclinical studies. The promising data from animal models support the potential therapeutic utility of CF-370 for the treatment of serious infections caused by P. aeruginosa, including hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonias and pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis.

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, currently being studied in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study, 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 in adult patients.

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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 presentations, the DLA research data, 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 its DLA platform, whether exebacase has the potential to be a first-in-class treatment for Staph aureus bacteremia, the features and properties of CF-370, including those obtained from in vivo and in vitro studies, the therapeutic utility of CF-370, 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 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, our ability to develop treatments for drug-resistant infectious diseases. 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

Carlo Tanzi, Ph.D.

Kendall Investor Relations