Rebiotix announced an expansion of the investigator sponsored Phase 1 study of RBX7455 for the prevention of recurrent Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) infection. The expansion follows the successful completion of the study's two initial cohorts and is intended to explore reduced dosing regimens of RBX7455 in two new treatment arms. RBX7455 is a lyophilized, non-frozen oral capsule formulation of Rebiotix's Microbiota Restoration Therapy (MRT), a standardized, stabilized drug technology that is designed to rehabilitate the human microbiome by delivering a broad spectrum of live microbes into a patient's intestinal tract via a ready-to-use and easy-to-administer format.
"Expansion of the Phase 1 study is a key advancement in the development of RBX7455 as it provides an opportunity to explore the potential efficacy of reduced dosing regimens of our oral capsule product in the prevention of recurrent C. diff. infection," Lee Jones, president and CEO of Rebiotix said. "RBX7455 is a ground-breaking product in that its oral capsule design is the first in the microbiome industry not requiring storage in frozen conditions. As such, patients are able to administer RBX7455 at home as they would a typical oral capsule medication, which potentially makes RBX7455 ideally suited for diseases where chronic or repeat dosing is required."
The Phase 1 study of RBX7455 is an investigator sponsored, prospective, single center, proof of concept dosing study of RBX7455 for the prevention of recurrent C. diff. infection. The first two arms enrolled 10 patients per arm (20 total). The expansion of the Phase 1 study adds two additional arms, which will enroll approximately 10 patients per arm (20 total) with reduced dosing regimens from the first two arms. Rebiotix expects data from the first two cohorts of the Phase 1 study of RBX7455 to be released publicly by mid-2018.
Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) infection is a serious and potentially fatal gastrointestinal disease, characterized by severe diarrhea, fever, and loss of appetite. It is a leading healthcare-associated infection (HAI), and in the U.S. alone, there are about 500,000 people infected and over 29,000 deaths annually from the disease. Currently, 20-30% of patients with C. diff. go on to experience more than one episode of the disease, which is known as recurrent C. diff. infection. Recurrent C. diff. infection is especially challenging to treat as, to date, there are no approved microbial-based drugs to treat patients with two or more recurrences.