Tobramycin

For Rapid Identification of Patients Susceptible to Antibiotic-Induced Hearing LossMISSISSAUGA, Ontario and MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microbix Biosystems Inc. (TSX: MBX, OTCQX: MBXBF, Microbix®), a life sciences innovator, manufacturer, and exporter, and EMQN CIC (EMQN), a global supplier of laboratory external quality assessment (“EQA”) schemes for human genomic testing, announce the go-live of a program to support the accurate identification of patients who carry a gene-variant associated with increased susceptibility to hearing loss following treatment with a widely-used class of antibiotics. This first-of-its kind EQA program is intended to help ensure the proficiency of Point-of-Care Testing (“POCT”) and acute-care labs that are assessing whether patients carry the MT-RNR1 m.1555A>G gene variant. It is estimated that one in 500 persons carry this variant that can lead to profound and irreversible hearing loss upon exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics. This class of antibiotics include Gentamycin, Kanamycin, Streptomycin, and Tobramycin, which are used to treat a wide range of “gram negative” bacterial infections. Of particular concern are newborn babies who are suspected to be at risk of bacterial sepsis – a life-threatening condition that can lead to death from multi-organ failure if not treated promptly with appropriate antibiotic drugs and other acute medical care. Microbix-produced quality assessment products (“QAPs™”), formatted onto Copan® FLOQSwabs®, are being used in this EMQN EQA program to help assess the proficiency and accuracy of such acute care genetic testing. The QAPs provide samples that participants can process like cheek or buccal swabs, enabling them to verify the accuracy of MT-RNR1 assays in their POCT. With a subscription to this EMQN program, participants will receive three samples every two months (18 per year), helping them to ensure the accuracy of their testing on an ongoing basis and thereby make the most reliable diagnoses possible. Sean Sales, Operations Director at EMQN, commented, “It has been a pleasure to have Microbix’s assistance in making the QAPs for this groundbreaking and important new EQA program. Acute care physicians need the information to be able to evaluate the risk-benefit of antibiotic treatments and no patient should have to face a lifetime of hearing loss when tests to identify this risk are available.” Cameron Groome, CEO and President at Microbix also commented, “We’re pleased to help enable the creation of EQA for this clinically-important decision-making. Our expertise was joined to that of EMQN and Copan to ensure that accurate testing and properly-directed treatment is available for patients worldwide. This QAP marks Microbix’s entry into supporting the accuracy of genetic tests, adding to our established presence in infectious diseases and emerging role in oncology.” UK and international labs can enroll in this EQA program (code POCT MT-RNR1 25) via EMQN CIC at https://www.emqn.org/our-eqa-schemes/ and enquiries about Microbix QAPs can be directed to customer.service@microbix.com. About EMQN CICEMQN is a Manchester, UK based company that provides quality assurance tools and specialized knowledge to the human genomic testing community through External Quality Assessment (EQA) schemes. Its work helps guarantee the best possible molecular diagnostic procedure, analytical performance, and clinical interpretation. EMQN’s highly qualified peer group of assessors take pride in their thought leadership position and are committed to regularly publishing best practice guidelines and other information for the molecular diagnostics field. EMQN is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the international standard for EQA scheme providers, ISO 17043. About Microbix Biosystems Inc.Microbix Biosystems Inc. creates proprietary biological products for human health, with over 100 skilled employees and sales now targeting C$ 2.0 million or more per month. It makes and exports a wide range of critical ingredients and devices for the global diagnostics industry, notably antigens for immunoassays and its laboratory quality assessment products (QAPs™) that support clinical lab proficiency testing, enable assay development and validation, or help ensure the quality of clinical diagnostic workflows. Its antigens drive the antibody tests of approximately 100 diagnostics makers, while QAPs are sold to clinical lab accreditation organizations, diagnostics companies, and clinical labs. Microbix QAPs are now available in over 30 countries, supported by a network of international distributors. Microbix is ISO 9001 & 13485 accredited, U.S. FDA registered, Australian TGA registered, Health Canada establishment licensed, and provides IVDR compliant CE marked products across the EU. Forward-Looking InformationThis news release includes “forward-looking information,” as such term is defined in applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, discussion of the tests, the EQA program, EMQN, Copan, or their relevance, Microbix’s products or services, business and business results, goals or outlook, risks associated with financial results and stability, development projects such as those referenced in its presentations, regulatory compliance and approvals, sales to foreign jurisdictions, engineering and construction, production (including control over costs, quality, quantity or timeliness of delivery), currency exchange rates, maintaining adequate working capital or raising new capital on acceptable terms or at all, and other similar statements about anticipated future events, conditions or results that are not historical facts. These statements reflect management’s current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Microbix cautions that all forward-looking information is inherently uncertain, and actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, some of which are beyond its control. Accordingly, actual future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and represent Microbix’s judgement as of the date of this new release, and it is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking information. Please visit https://microbix.com or www.sedar.com for recent Microbix news and filings. For further information, please contact Microbix at: Cameron Groome, CEO(905) 361-8910Jim Currie, CFO(905) 361-8910Deborah Honig, Investor RelationsAdelaide Capital Markets(647) 203-8793 ir@microbix.com Copyright © 2024 Microbix Biosystems Inc. Microbix®, DxTM™, Kinlytic®, and QAPs™ are trademarks of Microbix Biosystems Inc.Copan®, FLOQ®, and FLOQSwab® are trademarks of Copan Italia S.p.A.

Outcomes at 12 months demonstrate a statistically significant net treatment effect of 19% compared to the standard of care two-stage exchange arthroplasty and highlight a 71% reduction in PJI burdenDALLAS, Nov. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osteal Therapeutics, Inc. (“Osteal”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new category of combination drug/device therapies for orthopedic infections, announced positive 12-month results from the two APEX (Abbreviated Protocol for Two Stage Exchange) clinical trials of VT-X7 KIT (vancomycin hydrochloride for irrigation; tobramycin sulfate for irrigation/irrigation system) (“VT-X7”) in patients with periprosthetic joint infections (“PJI”) of the hip or knee. The two prospective, randomized, comparative studies evaluated the efficacy of a rapid (7-day) exchange arthroplasty with intra-articular antibiotic irrigation versus the current standard of care, two-stage exchange arthroplasty. Results were featured at the 2024 American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) annual meeting and were presented by Dr. Nicolas S. Piuzzi, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. The APEX clinical program enrolled 152 patients across 23 centers in the U.S., with 76 patients treated in each study arm. Results demonstrated a statistically significant net treatment effect at 12-months of 19% (MSIS Tier 1, VT-X7: 71% vs. Control: 52%). Additionally, the median time to revision arthroplasty was significantly shorter at 7 days in VT-X7 patients compared to 98 days in patients with standard two-stage exchange. Of those patients completing revision arthroplasty (VT-X7: 100% vs. Control: 82%), patients treated with VT-X7 had a shorter overall procedure time by 62 minutes compared to patients treated with two-stage exchange. When considering the overall burden of PJI to the patients during the study follow-up period (i.e. time spent without a permanent implant and/or time spent as a failure), VT-X7 reduced PJI burden by 71% compared to standard two-stage exchange. Overall, the 12-month results demonstrated both a statistically significant and clinically meaningful treatment effect with VT-X7 compared to standard two-stage exchange. “A periprosthetic joint infection presents a significant challenge, with treatment often requiring multiple surgeries and prolonged rounds of antibiotics, which can profoundly disrupt a patient’s life. The APEX clinical program results are impressive, demonstrating a clinical advantage of rapid exchange arthroplasty with target site irrigation and providing surgeons with a promising, transformative approach to treating PJI, one that addresses the need to expedite infection eradication and allow patients to reclaim their lives.” says Dr. Piuzzi, Principal Investigator for the APEX-2 clinical study. About Periprosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) Affecting over 40,000 people in the U.S. annually, PJI is a rare and potentially devastating complication of joint replacement surgery in which pathogenic bacteria colonize the joint prosthesis, forming difficult-to-remove structures called biofilms. Biofilm infections are challenging to resolve, requiring long, invasive and expensive treatments that are often unsuccessful, resulting in high rates of permanent disability and early death. Recent retrospective analyses demonstrate that the current gold standard for treatment of PJI, two-stage exchange arthroplasty, takes an average of 16 weeks and has a success rate under 50% after 12 months, highlighting the unmet need for faster and more efficacious treatment options. About VT-X7 KIT VT-X7 KIT (vancomycin hydrochloride and tobramycin sulfate for irrigation/irrigation system) (“VT-X7”) is a novel drug/device combination product designed to deliver therapeutic concentrations of vancomycin and tobramycin, two well-established, broad-spectrum antibiotics, directly to the joint space and surrounding tissue to treat PJI. VT-X7 is a 7-day therapy designed to address the unmet clinical need for a rapid, reliable treatment for these challenging infections. In clinical studies of VT-X7, 100% of patients were treated and received a new permanent joint prosthesis in seven days with >90% remaining infection-free after one year. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted VT-X7 Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Qualified Infectious Disease Product designations. This initial application of VT-X7 represents a first-of-its-kind, multibillion-dollar opportunity to dramatically improve outcomes for a serious unmet medical need in PJI. About Osteal Therapeutics, Inc. Osteal Therapeutics is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel musculoskeletal therapeutics to treat orthopedic infections and their consequences. The company is leveraging the ability of concentrated, locally delivered antimicrobials to treat the bacterial biofilms typically responsible for musculoskeletal infections while minimizing off-target tissue exposure and associated adverse effects. Osteal employs a low-risk development strategy by using approved drugs with long histories of safety and efficacy as candidates for new routes of local delivery. The company’s lead candidate, VT-X7 KIT, is in late-stage clinical development to treat periprosthetic joint infections, a serious complication of joint replacement surgery. For more information, please visit: www.ostealtx.com Corporate Contact: Todd SaundersVice President of MarketingOsteal Therapeutics, Inc.Phone: 469-809-2630Email: info@ostealtx.com