LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pulmatrix,
Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company
developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious
pulmonary diseases, today announced that its Chief Scientific
Officer, David Hava, PhD, was the featured guest on Health Media
Now on November 17, 2016.
Health Media Now is an online talk radio show that focuses
on important health innovations and issues.
In his wide-ranging interview with award-winning host
Denise Messenger, Hava discusses a
number of trends and issues that are important to the American
public, from drug prices to "revolutionary" developments in
diseases like cystic fibrosis. He also describes his early interest
in biology. "I became really passionate about working for the
pharmaceutical or biotech industry, where I could apply an
innovative technology to meeting unmet medical needs," he says in
the interview.
In particular, the interview with Hava focuses on respiratory
diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
and cystic fibrosis (CF). Millions of Americans suffer from
respiratory diseases, Hava explains, and there have been "dramatic
improvements in care over the last 20 years." One key advance has
been the development of inhaled drugs, he says.
But current inhaled drugs are not perfect. "They are great, but
they are limited," Hava explains. Only about 20% of the drugs being
delivered actually make it to the lungs where they are needed. The
rest get stuck in the inhaler or in the throat, where they can lead
to side effects.
That's why Hava and Pulmatrix have developed a new type of dry
powder that 'flies' more easily into the lungs. As a result, based
on pre-clinical results, "we get 80% of the drug into the lungs,"
Hava explains. It also allows many more types of drugs to be
delivered through inhalation. That technology, called
iSPERSE™, is described in an animation the company has
produced, Hava says.
Pulmatrix is now using the technology to develop products that
can really benefit patients, says Hava. For example, one major
unmet medical need is a safe and effective treatment for fungal
infections in the lungs. Patients with either CF or severe asthma
often get infected by aspergillosis, a type of fungus. Some of
those patients then develop an allergic reaction known as allergic
bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), in which inflammation in the
lungs and systemically worsens the disease and makes it even harder
to breathe.
One of Pulmatrix's drug candidates, PUR1900, combines an
antifungal drug with the iSPERSE drug delivery technology.
Preclinical studies show that it offers significant advantages over
the current standard of care, an oral antifungal drug. "Millions of
patients suffer from ABPA and could benefit from an antifungal
treatment like the one we are developing," says Hava. "We think we
can have a large impact." Pulmatrix has successfully received
orphan drug status from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) to develop PUR1900 to treat fungal infections in CF patients.
However, PUR1900 is not approved by the FDA for sale or marketing
at this time.
Another Pulmatrix drug candidate, PUR2000, has the potential to
both improve treatment for COPD and to bring costs down for
patients, because it will be a generic version of an existing
best-selling inhaled drug, says Hava.
These developments show that medical care for respiratory
diseases should continue to improve, potentially bringing major
benefits to millions of people. "We are very excited about what we
are doing," Hava says.
About Pulmatrix
Pulmatrix is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies
to address serious pulmonary disease using its patented iSPERSE™
technology. The Company's proprietary product pipeline is focused
on advancing treatments for lung diseases, including
opportunities in major pulmonary diseases through collaborations,
like PUR0200, a branded generic in clinical development for chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and PUR1900, an inhaled
antifungal that could benefit severe asthmatics and patients with
rare disease like cystic fibrosis. Pulmatrix's product
candidates are based on iSPERSE™, its proprietary dry powder
delivery platform, which seeks to improve therapeutic delivery to
the lungs by maximizing local concentrations and reducing systemic
side effects to improve patient outcomes.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this
press release that are forward-looking and not statements of
historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The Company cautions that such statements
involve risks and uncertainties that may materially affect the
Company's results of operations. Such forward-looking statements
are based on the beliefs of management as well as assumptions made
by and information currently available to management. Actual
results could differ materially from those contemplated by the
forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors,
including but not limited to the ability to establish that
potential products are efficacious or safe in preclinical or
clinical trials; the ability to establish or maintain
collaborations on the development of therapeutic candidates; the
ability to obtain appropriate or necessary governmental approvals
to market potential products; the ability to obtain future funding
for developmental products and working capital and to obtain such
funding on commercially reasonable terms; the Company's ability to
manufacture product candidates on a commercial scale or in
collaborations with third parties; changes in the size and nature
of competitors; the ability to retain key executives and
scientists; and the ability to secure and enforce legal rights
related to the Company's products, including patent protection. A
discussion of these and other factors, including risks and
uncertainties with respect to the Company, is set forth in the
Company's annual report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on March
10, 2016. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation
to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by
law.
Investor Contact
Robert
Clarke,
CEO
(781)
357-2333
rclarke@pulmatrix.com
William Duke, CFO
(781) 357-2333
wduke@pulmatrix.com
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SOURCE Pulmatrix, Inc.