RCE Selected by CSIRO/PDI for SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Program
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX Announcement
RECCE® Compounds Selected by CSIRO/Doherty Institute in Priority 1
Candidate Group for SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Screening Program
Highlights:
•
RECCE® 327 and New RECCE® 529 compounds were selected for their unique mechanism of
actions against hyper-mutation, as indicated on bacteria and viruses (respectively)
•
Testing program will be conducted by CSIRO & University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute
•
Therapeutic antiviral treatment focus of RECCE® 327 and RECCE® 529 may see added
potential benefit against secondary bacterial infections
Sydney Australia, 8 July 2020: Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) (Company), the
Company developing New Classes of Synthetic Anti-infectives, today announced it has
entered into an Antiviral SARS-CoV-2 Screening Program Agreement, with The
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the University
of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunology (‘Doherty Institute’)
following their selection of RECCE® 327 and RECCE® 529’s in the Priority 1 candidate group.
According to the Program Selection Guidelines, Priority 1 status is defined as “highest or
strong likelihood of antiviral or antiseptic efficacy – Compounds in this grouping will be eligible
for stage 1 laboratory screening trials”.
RECCE® 327 is a broad-spectrum synthetic antibiotic formulated using synthetic polymer
technology to treat blood infections and sepsis. RECCE® 529 is a new synthetic polymer
formulation, built upon the Company’s anti-infective expertise.
Submissions were assessed by a panel of scientific experts in virology, antivirals, medicinal
chemistry and the clinical trial of antiviral drugs. The SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Screening
Program evaluating the Company’s compounds is a three step process involving (1) In-vitro
screening/testing, (2) Ex-vivo testing using a model of human epithelial lung cells at Doherty
Institute and (3) In-vivo (ferrets) in CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
The Program is part of the Australian Government’s efforts to identify promising anti-viral
candidates and fast-track research into potential treatments for COVID-19. All intellectual
property rights are retained by the Company, with the full program expected to take some
months and updates to be made available on material developments as the program
advances.
The expenditure is staged and the Company expects the first stage to be an immaterial
amount of approximately $35K. If testing progresses, costs will increase at each stage. The
Company will make announcement in relation to progress to any further stage, and will detail
in those announcement any material associated costs.
Dr. John Prendergast, Recce Pharmaceuticals Non-Executive Chairman said, “We are very
pleased to have been selected by the CSIRO, one of the largest and most diverse scientific
research organisations in the world, to investigate the efficacy of two of our promising
compounds against SARS-CoV-2. The compounds’ unique, universal mechanisms of action
indicate potential to attack a broad range of viruses and as well, overcome the threat of
viruses’ typical hyper-mutation into new and deadly pathogens.”
This announcement has been approved for release by Recce Pharmaceuticals Board.
About Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) is pioneering the development and commercialisation of New
Classes of Synthetic Anti-Infectives designed to address the urgent global health problems of antibiotic
resistant superbugs and emerging viral pathogens.
Recce antibiotics are unique – their potency does not diminish even with repeated use, a common
failure associated with existing antibiotics and their propensity to rapidly succumb to resistant
superbugs.
Patented lead candidate RECCE® 327, wholly owned and manufactured in Australia, has been
developed for the treatment of blood infections and sepsis derived from E. coli and S. aureus
bacteria – including their superbug forms.
The FDA has awarded RECCE® 327 Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation under
the Generating Antibiotic Initiatives Now (GAIN) Act – labelling it for Fast Track Designation,
plus 10 years of market exclusivity post approval.
Recce wholly owns its automated manufacturing, ready to support first-in-human clinical trials.
Recce’s anti-infective pipeline seeks to exploit the unique capabilities of RECCE® technologies
targeting synergistic, unmet medical needs.
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