YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ContraFect Corporation (Nasdaq:CFRX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of direct lytic agents (DLAs) as new medical modalities for the treatment of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the appointment of Jane F. Barlow, MD, MPH, MBA to the Company’s board of directors (Board).
“Dr. Barlow is an expert in both market access and payer reimbursement for the healthcare industry and, in particular, has extensive expertise in determining the economic impact and value of innovative, new modality therapies,” said Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of ContraFect. “As we continue to enroll patients in our pivotal Phase 3 DISRUPT trial for our Breakthrough Therapy Designated drug candidate, exebacase, and initiate planning for a potential product launch, we are delighted to add Dr. Barlow’s deep commercial knowledge to our Board.”
“I am excited to join ContraFect at such an important time in the development of exebacase as a potentially superior addition to current treatments for patients with complicated Staph aureus bacteremia,” said Dr. Barlow. “Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to evaluate innovative products and implement strategies to optimize their clinical use. I derive the greatest satisfaction from successfully enabling an entirely new therapeutic paradigm to emerge to meet unmet patient need. I look forward to working with the company’s management and the Board to bring this first-in-class therapy to payers and into hospitals as rapidly as possible.”
Dr. Barlow is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Jane Barlow & Associates, LLC, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Real Endpoints. She is a senior advisory to MIT’s Center for Biomedical Innovation and serves on the Biotech Advisory Board of Pictet Asset Management. Prior to her current roles, she was Associate Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health’s Government Services arm where she successfully implemented industry-leading clinical strategies supporting drug purchasing, distribution, and utilization management. Formerly, she served as Vice President of Clinical Innovation at Medco Health Solutions, leading the adoption of cutting-edge therapeutic programs through all aspects of pharmacy. Dr. Barlow has extensive experience in steering pharmaceutical development by strategically weighing the value and economic costs that drug candidates bring to the healthcare ecosystem at large. Dr. Barlow previously served on the boards of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (prior to and during its sale to Johnson and Johnson), TherapeuticsMD Inc., and SilverScript Insurance Company.
Dr. Barlow received her medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine and subsequently completed her residency in occupational and environmental medicine at The Johns Hopkins University, where she also earned her M.P.H. She is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and served as Chief of Flight Medicine at the Beale and Maxwell Air Force Bases. Additionally, she holds an M.B.A. from the University of Alabama. She is board-certified in occupational medicine and a fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine. She is a diplomat of the American College of Physician Executives and a member of the American Medical Association.
About DISRUPT:
The Phase 3 DISRUPT study of exebacase is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study conducted in the U.S. to assess the efficacy and safety of exebacase in approximately 350 patients with complicated Staph aureus bacteremia, including right-sided endocarditis. Patients enrolled in the Phase 3 study are randomized 2:1 to receive either exebacase or placebo, with all patients receiving SOC antibiotics. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is clinical response at day 14 in patients with MRSA bacteremia, including right-sided endocarditis. Secondary endpoints include clinical response at day 14 in the All Staph aureus patients (MRSA and methicillin-sensitive Staph aureus (MSSA)), 30-day all-cause mortality in MRSA patients, and clinical response at later timepoints. The Company plans to conduct an interim futility analysis following the enrollment of approximately 60% of the study population.
About ContraFect:
ContraFect is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of direct lytic agents (DLAs), including lysins and amurin peptides, as new medical modalities for the treatment of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections. An estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide each year are attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections. We intend to address life threatening infections using our therapeutic product candidates from our platform of DLAs, which include lysins and amurin peptides. Lysins are a new class of DLAs which are recombinantly produced antimicrobial proteins with a novel mechanism of action associated with the rapid killing of target bacteria, eradication of biofilms and synergy with conventional antibiotics. Amurin peptides are a novel class of DLAs which exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, including P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Enterobacter species. We believe that the properties of our lysins and amurin peptides will make them suitable for targeting antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as MRSA and P. aeruginosa, which can cause serious infections such as bacteremia, pneumonia and osteomyelitis. We have completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of Staph aureus bacteremia, including endocarditis, with our lead lysin candidate, exebacase, which is the first lysin to enter clinical studies in the U.S. Exebacase, currently being studied in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study, was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of MRSA bloodstream infections, including right-sided endocarditis, when used in addition to SOC anti-staphylococcal antibiotics in adult patients.
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