The drug candidate, Mul-1867, has shown promise in treating the mixed bacterial and fungal infections found in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, according to new data.

In the study presented, mice with acute and drug-resistant infections — due to bacterial and fungal isolates from CF patients — were treated with inhaled Mul-1867, and the drug was shown to provide 80 percent or greater protection against mortality. The infections came from a mix of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and P. aeruginosa and the fungi Candida albicans. In comparison, mice treated with an aminoglycoside antibiotic commonly used by CF patients with lung infections had a 50 percent survival rate.

“Mul-1867 is a breakthrough drug candidate that has shown significant promise in treating the chronic infections that lead to progressive decline in lung function and eventually respiratory failure in patients with cystic fibrosis,” Dr George Tetz, scientific and development advisor for  TGV-inhalonix who gave the presentation, said in a press release. “Mul-1867 is the first drug candidate in development that holds promise against resistant strains of bacteria, as well those infections caused by a mix of bacteria and fungi infections that plague cystic fibrosis patients.”

A pilot study of Mul-1867 involving 15 CF patients was recently completed, the company reported on its website.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated Mul-1867 an orphan drug to speed its development and testing.

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