60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (the
“Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new
medicines for infectious diseases, announced today it has signed
clinical trial agreements with all three of the planned clinical
trial sites for the Tafenoquine for Babesiosis study now enrolling.
Tufts Medical Center, Yale University, and Rhode Island Hospital
will conduct the world's first randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and
safety of
tafenoquine in treating human babesiosis
patients.
At least 24, and potentially up to 33, hospitalized patients
diagnosed with relapsing babesiosis will be recruited for the
study, with interim results anticipated by September, 2025.
“Babesiosis is becoming a top concern within the infectious
diseases healthcare community given the fact that accurate
diagnosis and treatment are crucial to preventing progression to
very serious phases of this illness,” said Dr. Geoff Dow, chief
executive officer of 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals. “Today, a patient
who reaches the relapsing stage of babesiosis has few effective
treatment options. The Tafenoquine for Babesiosis clinical trial
currently enrolling patients is anticipated to shed new light on
how best to address the babesiosis treatment needs of this group.
The team at 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals is pleased to partner with
Tufts Medical Center, Yale University, and Rhode Island Hospital –
three of the world’s leading medical centers – in this effort.”
A recently published study suggested that
tafenoquine combined with standard-of-care
treatment exhibits a high cure rate in immunosuppressed patients
who have relapsing babesiosis and for whom prior treatment has
failed.
Babesiosis is a steadily emerging, infectious disease
transmitted by a microscopic parasite, Babesia, through the bite of
the black-legged (deer) tick, the vector that spreads Lyme disease.
Babesiosis may be life-threatening in elderly and immunosuppressed
patients. Cases of babesiosis are rising in the Northeast U.S.
The total cumulative accessible market through the end of U.S.
patent protection in December 2035, for ARAKODA®
(tafenoquine) for babesiosis is approximately
400,000 patients.
Tafenoquine is approved for malaria prophylaxis
in the United States under the product name ARAKODA®. The safety of
the approved regimen of tafenoquine for malaria
prophylaxis has been assessed in five separate randomized,
double-blind, active comparator or placebo-controlled trials for
durations of up to six months. Tafenoquine has not
been proven to be effective for treatment or prevention of
babesiosis and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for such an indication.
About the Study of Tafenoquine for Patients Hospitalized
with Babesiosis
The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
trial that will compare the safety and efficacy of tafenoquine
versus placebo in patients hospitalized for babesiosis and
administered standard of care medications. The two main study
endpoints will be the time to sustained clinical resolution of
symptoms and the time to molecular cure as determined by an
FDA-approved nucleic acid test (NAT). At least 24, and as many as
33 patients, will be recruited before an interim analysis is
conducted. Sufficient enrollment capacity is planned to allow all
study subjects to be recruited before the end of the 2025 tick
season (traditionally, from June to September). The interim
analysis will include both a test of significance, as well as size
re-estimation to allow additional recruitment if required. The
efficacy and safety of 8-aminoquinolines, a class of drugs that
includes tafenoquine and primaquine, for
prevention and treatment of malaria is well documented. Several
case reports of tafenoquine use for babesiosis
indicate that the drug is already being used for this purpose in
the practice of medicine in the U.S.
About ARAKODA® (tafenoquine)
Tafenoquine was discovered by Walter
Reed Army Institute of Research. Tafenoquine was approved for
malaria prophylaxis in 2018 in the United States as
ARAKODA® and in Australia as KODATEF®. Both were
commercially launched in 2019 and are currently distributed through
pharmaceutical wholesaler networks in each respective country. They
are available at retail pharmacies as a prescription-only malaria
prevention drug. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the long terminal half-life
of tafenoquine, which is approximately 16
days, may offer potential advantages in less- frequent dosing for
prophylaxis for malaria. ARAKODA is not suitable for
everyone, and patients and prescribers should review the Important
Safety Information below. Individuals at risk of contracting
malaria are prescribed ARAKODA 2 x 100 mg tablets once per day for
three days (the loading phase) prior to travel to an area of the
world where malaria is endemic, 2 x 100 mg tablets weekly for up to
six months during travel, then 2 x 100 mg in the week following
travel.
ARAKODA® (tafenoquine) Important Safety
Information
ARAKODA® is an antimalarial indicated for the prophylaxis of
malaria in patients aged 18 years of age and older.
Contraindications
ARAKODA® should not be administered to:
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (“G6PD”) deficiency or
unknown G6PD status;
- Breastfeeding by a lactating woman when the infant is found to
be G6PD deficient or if
- G6PD status is unknown;
- Patients with a history of psychotic disorders or current
psychotic symptoms; or
- Known hypersensitivity reactions to
tafenoquine, other 8-aminoquinolines, or any component of
ARAKODA®.
Warnings and Precautions
Hemolytic Anemia: G6PD testing must be
performed before prescribing ARAKODA® due to the risk of hemolytic
anemia. Monitor patients for signs or symptoms of hemolysis.
G6PD Deficiency in Pregnancy or Lactation:
ARAKODA® may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman
with a G6PD-deficient fetus. ARAKODA® is not recommended during
pregnancy. A G6PD-deficient infant may be at risk for hemolytic
anemia from exposure to ARAKODA® through breast milk. Check
infant’s G6PD status before breastfeeding begins.
Methemoglobinemia: Asymptomatic elevations in
blood methemoglobin have been observed. Initiate appropriate
therapy if signs or symptoms of methemoglobinemia occur.
Psychiatric Effects: Serious psychotic adverse
reactions have been observed in patients with a history of
psychosis or schizophrenia, at doses different from the approved
dose. If psychotic symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, or grossly
disorganized thinking or behavior) occur, consider discontinuation
of ARAKODA® therapy and evaluation by a mental health professional
as soon as possible.
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious
hypersensitivity reactions have been observed with administration
of ARAKODA®. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, institute
appropriate therapy.
Delayed Adverse Reactions: Due to the long
half-life of ARAKODA® (approximately 17 days), psychiatric effects,
hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia, and hypersensitivity reactions
may be delayed in onset and/or duration.
Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse
reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 1 percent) were:
headache, dizziness, back pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting,
increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), motion sickness,
insomnia, depression, abnormal dreams, and anxiety.
Drug Interactions
Avoid co-administration with drugs that are substrates of
organic cation transporter-2 (OCT2) or multidrug and toxin
extrusion (MATE) transporters.
Use in Specific Populations
Lactation: Advise women not to breastfeed a G6PD-deficient
infant or infant with unknown G6PD status during treatment and for
3 months after the last dose of ARAKODA®.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact 60 Degrees
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1- 888-834-0225 or the FDA at
1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. The full prescribing
information of ARAKODA® is located here.
About 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc., founded in 2010, specializes
in developing and marketing new medicines for the treatment and
prevention of infectious diseases that affect the lives of millions
of people. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. achieved FDA approval
of its lead product, ARAKODA® (tafenoquine), for malaria
prevention, in 2018. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. also
collaborates with prominent research organizations in the U.S.,
Australia, and Singapore. The 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
mission has been supported through in-kind funding from the U.S.
Department of Defense and private institutional investors including
Knight Therapeutics Inc., a Canadian-based pan-American specialty
pharmaceutical company. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is
headquartered in Washington D.C., with a majority-owned subsidiary
in Australia. Learn more at www.60degreespharma.com.
The statements contained herein may include prospects,
statements of future expectations and other forward-looking
statements that are based on management's current views and
assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties.
Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from
those expressed or implied in such forwardlooking statements.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward‐looking
statements reflect the current view about future events. When used
in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” or the negative
of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our
management, identify forward‐looking statements. Forward-looking
statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future
performance. Instead, they are based only on our current
beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the
future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections,
anticipated events and trends, the economy, activities of
regulators and future regulations and other future conditions.
Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are
subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in
circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are
outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition
may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking
statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our
actual results and financial condition to differ materially from
those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among
others, the following: there is substantial doubt as to our ability
to continue on a going-concern basis; we might not be eligible for
Australian government research and development tax rebates; if we
are not able to successfully develop, obtain FDA approval for, and
provide for the commercialization of non- malaria prevention
indications for tafenoquine (ARAKODA® or other regimen) or
Celgosivir in a timely manner, we may not be able to expand our
business operations; we may not be able to successfully conduct
planned clinical trials or patient recruitment in our trials might
be slow or negligible; and we have no manufacturing capacity which
puts us at risk of lengthy and costly delays of bringing our
products to market. More detailed information about the
Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of
forward- looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”),
including the information contained in our Annual Report on Form
10-K filed with the SEC on April 1, 2024, and our subsequent SEC
filings. Investors and security holders are urged to read these
documents free of charge on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov.
As a result of these matters, changes in facts, assumptions not
being realized or other circumstances, the Company’s actual results
may differ materially from the expected results discussed in the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any
forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based
only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of
the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or
oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of
new information, future developments or otherwise.
Media Contact:Sheila A.
BurkeSheilaBurke-consultant@60degreespharma.com(484) 667-6330
Investor Contact:Patrick
Gaynespatrickgaynes@60degreespharma.com(310) 989-5666
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