AZRX - AzurRx BioPharma Announces Poster Presentation at the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association 2019 Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) (“AzurRx” or the “Company”), a company specializing in the development of non-systemic, recombinant therapies for gastrointestinal diseases, today announced a poster presentation at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association being held in Miami, Florida on March 20-24, 2019. The poster will focus on data from its Phase II study of MS1819-SD in patients with chronic pancreatitis that was completed in 2018.

“We are pleased to present our positive Phase II data, where we observed both clinical activity and a clear dose response,” said Thijs Spoor, President and CEO of AzurRx. “Our oral MS1819-SD therapy is a novel treatment for patients with gastrointestinal disorders and, based on these encouraging and positive data, we are continuing to progress our clinical trials.  We are currently enrolling patients in our cystic fibrosis study, which has 10 U.S. sites initiated to date with the rest expected to be up and running in the next four weeks. We are excited about the promise of our therapy and look forward to additional data read-outs.”

About the Phase 2 MS1819-SD in Chronic Pancreatitis

The Company previously reported the completion of this open-label, multi-center, dose escalation Phase IIa study, whose primary endpoint was to evaluate the safety of escalating doses of MS1819-SD in patients with chronic pancreatitis. The secondary endpoint for the study was to investigate the efficacy of MS1819-SD in these patients by analysis of the CFA and its change from baseline.  The Company enrolled 11 chronic pancreatitis patients in France, Australia and New Zealand. During the course of the trial, patients “washed-out” of their standard of care treatment for EPI to establish a baseline and then were subsequently treated with escalating doses of study drug in two-week increments.

Final data from the Phase IIa study show a favorable safety profile with no severe adverse events. Although the study was not powered for efficacy, in a pre-planned analysis, the highest dose cohort of MS1819-SD showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful increases in CFA compared to baseline with a mean increase of 21.8% and a p value of p=0.002 on a per protocol basis.

About the Phase 2 MS1819-SD in Cystic Fibrosis

The Company announced that it has dosed the first patients in the Company's Phase II OPTION study to investigate MS1819-SD in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).

The Phase II, open-label, multi-center, 2x2 crossover study is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of MS1819-SD in a head-to-head comparison against the current porcine enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) standard of care. The primary efficacy endpoint will be a comparison of CFAs after each of the two crossover periods.  Planned enrollment is expected to include approximately 30 CF patients, with the enrollment completed in mid-2019.

Additional information  about the ongoing OPTION MS1819-SD can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03746483?term=ms1819&rank=2 

About Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency:
EPI is a condition characterized by deficiency of the exocrine pancreatic enzymes, resulting in the inability to digest food properly, or maldigestion. This deficiency can be responsible for greasy diarrhea, fecal urge and weight loss.

There are approximately 90,000 patients in the U.S. with EPI caused by chronic pancreatitis according to the National Pancreas Foundation and more than 30,000 patients with EPI caused by cystic fibrosis according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Patients are currently treated with porcine pancreatic enzyme replacement pills.

About AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.
AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) is engaged in the research and development of non-systemic biologics for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. MS1819-SD recombinant lipase for EPI is the Company's lead development program, and additional early stage research is being conducted for the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. The Company is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with scientific operations based in Langlade, France. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.azurrx.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company’s belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. It is possible that the Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning the Company and its business, including a discussion of factors that could materially affect the Company’s financial results, including those related to the clinical development of MS1819-SD and final results of the Phase 2 study, are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 under the heading “Risk Factors,” as well as the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which we hereafter become aware.

For more information:

AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.
760 Parkside Avenue
Suite 304
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Phone: (646)-699-7855
info@azurrx.com

Investor Relations contact: 
LifeSci Advisors, LLC. 
Hans Vitzthum, Managing Director 
250 West 55th Street - Suite 16B 
New York, NY 10019 
Phone: 617-535-7743 
www.lifesciadvisors.com
hans@lifesciadvisors.com