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02-Dec-2019

Destiny Pharma to present at the Partnerships to Tackle the Global Challenge of AMR, UK-China AMR Workshop

Brighton, United Kingdom – 2 December 2019 – Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel antimicrobial drugs that address clear commercial opportunities and also address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), announces that Daniel Hynes, Director of Preclinical Development at Destiny Pharma, will present on the progress of a two-year China-UK Industrial Research programme researching novel antimicrobial candidates from the Company's XF drug platform for use against dermal and ocular infections at the Partnerships to Tackle the Global Challenge of AMR, UK-China AMR Workshop on 3-5 December, 2019 in Beijing, China.

Dr William Love, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Destiny Pharma, commented:

“We are delighted to be part of this UK-China AMR programme and to participate in this workshop with expert colleagues from China. Destiny is focused on developing clinically and commercially attractive new drugs that also address the serious global threat of AMR. Currently our lead drug candidate, XF-73, is in an important Phase 2b clinical study for the prevention of post-surgical hospital infections and we look forward to reporting results in mid-2020.

We are pleased with the progress we are making with our partners in this grant funded project investigating the potential for XF drugs to be used in new indications and look forward to reporting further updates in 2020”.

Destiny Pharma was awarded a significant grant funding up to £1.6 million under a UK-China AMR programme in January 2019 researching novel antimicrobial candidates from the Company's XF drug platform for use against dermal and ocular infections. This collaboration with Cardiff University and Tianjin Medical University aims to identify safe and efficacious compounds with a reduced resistance profile.

The collaboration established under the UK-China AMR grant is funded by Innovate UK and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

About China-UK Industrial Research programme

The new China-UK Industrial Research programme seeks to extend the knowledge base and activity profile of these novel drugs. This will include study of multi-drug resistant (MDR), Gram negative and positive, high priority bacterial pathogens in vitro, within biofilms and within in vivo bacterial infection models. It will also evaluate combining XF-drugs with existing antibiotics to synergise and/or restore their efficacy against priority antibiotic resistant bacteria. Data generated will help develop medicines that address the growth of bacterial resistance either as a single drug or restore efficacy of 'ineffective' antibiotics by combination therapy. These new products represent a significant commercial opportunity allowing the partners to expand investment in R&D activities including an increased academic collaboration. In addition, new combination drugs (incorporating a generic antibiotic) could be competitively priced to enhance access to effective, affordable drugs to healthcare service providers in low- and middle-income countries, (LMICs).