4D pharma collaborates with Parkinson’s UK to establish Patient Advisory Board

Leeds, UK, April 19, 2021 – 4D pharma plc (AIM: DDDD; NASDAQ: LBPS), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) - a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome, today announces a collaboration with Parkinson’s UK, a non-profit organization focused on advancing the understanding of Parkinson’s disease and improving treatments, to establish a Patient Advisory Board.

The Patient Advisory Board (PAB) will be comprised of people living with Parkinson’s. Supported by Parkinson’s UK, the PAB will provide valuable patient-centric perspective to 4D pharma as it continues to advance novel Live Biotherapeutics into the clinic to treat neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s. The PAB will also focus on raising awareness of the issues people with Parkinson’s face with current treatment options.

“4D pharma selected to work with Parkinson’s UK to represent the patient community as the largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe. The contributions of our Patient Advisory Board, with the support of Parkinson’s UK, will be vital to 4D pharma’s efforts to not only develop novel therapeutics for this devastating condition, but also promote a dialogue and partnership with the Parkinson’s patient community,” said Alex Stevenson, Chief Scientific Officer, 4D pharma. “Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. It is important that therapeutics in development address the issues of patients. By working with Parkinson’s UK and our Patient Advisory Board, 4D pharma is better able to engage Parkinson’s patients with our clinical programs as we work to bring the first Live Biotherapeutic for the treatment of this condition into the clinic.” “145,000 people are currently living with Parkinson’s in the UK alone. There is a desperate need for new and better treatments. To develop these, it is vital to involve people affected by Parkinson’s at every stage of research — from setting priorities and making decisions about funding to designing trials,” said Natasha Ratcliffe, Research Involvement Manager at Parkinson’s UK. “We’re delighted to be working with innovative companies like 4D pharma that share these values with us and are bringing new approaches to developing transformational new treatments for Parkinson’s. The Patient Advisory Board will enable people affected by Parkinson’s to have input into the development of this novel treatment.”

Today’s announcement builds on 4D pharma’s previously announced partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation-sponsored Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), where 4D pharma will collaborate as an industry partner. Through this partnership 4D pharma representatives join the PPMI Partner Scientific Advisory Board closely involved in the design and execution of the landmark PPMI study, as well as additional PPMI Working Groups to discuss PPMI data and address Parkinson’s clinical trial challenges.

4D pharma continues to progress plans for a first-in-human clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease patients of its oral single strain Live Biotherapeutics.

About 4D pharma

4D pharma is a world leader in the development of Live Biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs, defined by the FDA as biological products that contain a live organism, such as a bacterium, that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease.  4D has developed a proprietary platform, MicroRx®, that rationally identifies Live Biotherapeutics based on a deep understanding of function and mechanism.

4D pharma's Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) are orally delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut. The Company has six clinical programmes, namely a Phase I/II study of MRx0518 in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in solid tumours, a Phase I study of MRx0518 in a neoadjuvant setting for patients with solid tumours, a Phase I study of MRx0518 in patients with pancreatic cancer, a Phase I/II study of MRx-4DP0004 in asthma, a Phase II study of MRx-4DP0004 in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, and Blautix® in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which has completed a successful Phase II trial. Preclinical-stage programmes include candidates for CNS disease such as Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The Company has a research collaboration with MSD, a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, to discover and develop Live Biotherapeutics for vaccines.

For more information, refer to https://www.4dpharmaplc.com

About Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson’s is what happens when the brain cells that make dopamine start to die. There are more than 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety. Some are treatable, but the drugs can have serious side effects. It gets worse over time and there’s no cure. Yet.

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. Around 145,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s.

For more facts and statistics, please click here.

Further information, advice and support is available on the Parkinson’s UK website, www.parkinsons.org.uk.