Skin specialists have reported an increase in people seeking treatment for skin conditions as a result of mandatory mask wearing in Australia due to COVID-19.
Dubbed ‘maskne’, the condition includes acne, rosacea flare ups, perioral dermatitis, and folliculitis, all of which are aggravated by substances such as oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells becoming trapped under the mask.
Botanix Pharmaceuticals has today updated the market with plans for its Atopic Dermatitis (AD) clinical program. This follows important recent learnings on drug dose and formulation design of synthetic CBD in dermatitis applications, together with positive data from a new pilot study conducted in canines with AD.
Canine atopic dermatitis is clinically and immunologically similar to human AD, providing an efficient approach to inform progression of further human studies too.
A recent pilot study of Botanix’s BTX 1204A product in canines (a new higher dose formulation of synthetic CBD for atopic dermatitis, leveraging PermetrexTM), demonstrated significant reductions on average in both the Enhanced Pruritus Score (ESP) and Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI-04) scores over the 28-day treatment period.
Botanix is now advancing plans for a larger BTX 1204A proof of concept canine study in Australia, with goals to confirm and expand safety and efficacy data. Following this, the Company will pursue opportunities for partnering the product in animal health markets and progress towards a Phase 2b study for AD in humans in 1H 2022.
Botanix Pharmaceuticals President and Executive Chairman, Vince Ippolito, and Executive Director, Matt Callahan, hosted an investor conference call on Friday 7 May 2021.
You may listen to the audio file here:
Botanix Pharmaceutical’s (ASX:BOT) Executive Director, Matt Callahan, spoke with the Ticker News team yesterday to detail the next phase of our BTX 1801 antimicrobial program, which will target nasal decolonisation of Staph aureus in haemodialysis patients.
Botanix Pharmaceuticals has today released an updated investor presentation and registration details for a conference call with our investors and supporters.
participants can pre-submit questions to be answered at the end of the call, when registering through the link below.
See the updated investor presentation here.
Conference call details:
Date: Friday, 7 May 2021
Time: 11:00am AEST
Registration details:
Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the conference call. Upon registration, participants will receive a unique pin granting fast-track access to the conference call and the opportunity to submit questions to our team.
Botanix Pharmaceuticals has today released a comprehensive update and presentation on imminent plans for the BTX 1801 antimicrobial platform program.
The next phase of development for BTX 1801 will focus on targeting the nasal decolonisation of Staph aureus in haemodialysis patients, which represents a significant market opportunity to prevent bloodstream infections in these patients.
Dialysis largely replicates the functions of the kidneys in patients with chronic kidney failure, with dialysis taking over the key functions of the kidneys (including filtering and removing waste materials from the body). Haemodialysis patients undergoing ongoing dialysis regularly (e.g. three to five times per week), are at a high risk of bloodstream infections, due to their treatment requiring frequent use of catheters which in the first year are routinely central lines with direct access to the heart.
Our team is energised by the opportunity to develop a novel approach for removing sources of bacteria to prevent bloodstream infections in haemodialysis patients – which is desperately needed. Our prior work to examine the unique bactericidal mechanism of action of synthetic cannabidiol provides great confidence for this program too.
Botanix Pharmaceutical’s ground-breaking research on the antimicrobial potential of cannabidiol (CBD) has been published by a leading South American academic group in BioRxiv.
The BioRxiv article confirms our discovery that synthetic CBD can also kill a select group of Gram-negative bacteria, including the bacteria responsible for the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea and the increasingly challenging Clostridioides difficile (C.Diff) infections.
The BioRxiv Paper follows the publication of our research in Nature Research’s peer-reviewed journal Communications Biology in January 2021, which is continuing to drive conversation around the potential of CBD to address antimicrobial resistance, globally.
Senior writer for Freethink, B.David Zarley, has published a feature article titled ‘Can CBD be the Next Superbug Slayer?’
It examines the importance Botanix’s research into the antimicrobial potential of cannabidiol and includes comments from Dr Mark Blaskovich, Director of UQ’s IMB Centre for Superbug Solutions and collaborator on our BTX 1801 antimicrobial research.
Addressing the pressing global emergency of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is central to our work at Botanix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:BOT). Our BTX 1801 antimicrobial platform program is designed to offer novel treatments and solutions, leveraging the unique power of synthetic CBD.
This week, the ABC in Australia aired the final episode of its three-part Invisible Wars documentary series titled, “The Superbug Era”. It features Dr Mark Blaskovich, an AMR expert from the University of Queensland, who is playing a key role in the development of Botanix’s AMR platform, alongside other leading experts in this space.
The documentary is narrated by respected health commentator, Dr Norman Swan, who has been leading the national broadcaster’s coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic too. What it illuminates, in clear view, is the urgent need for novel solutions like BTX1801. Here’s an excerpt:
“When COVID-19 swept around the globe it revealed how incredibly vulnerable we are to infections for which we have no cure. Scientists are now warning of a new kind of pandemic, that could transform many treatable diseases into unstoppable killers. It’s the very real threat of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest man-made threats of the modern age.”
Australian medicinal cannabis revenue is tipped to double this year amid growing confidence in the emerging sector. And WA is poised to maintain a significant hold of the market share.
While the State is recognised globally for its optimal growing conditions, local cultivators, manufacturers and researchers have also benefited from limited COVID-19 interference in their operations.
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Dr Washer said the trials were critical for the future success of the business.
“Mainstream medicine is where you want to be, and you need the right data to achieve this,” he said. “This is what makes a company attractive to big pharmaceuticals.”
Synthetic medicinal cannabis is more expensive to produce but is more accurate in eradicating THC, the compound in recreational marijuana that produces the “high” sensation.
Dr Washer said having cannabis products that were 100 per cent THC-free would be important to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval.
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Click through to read the full article on The West Australian.
