PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Da Volterra, a leading biopharmaceutical company in the field of anti-infectives and microbiome protection, announced today the publication of groundbreaking results in the Journal of Infectious Diseases from a clinical study of DAV132 for the protection of intestinal microbiota from disruption caused by antibiotics. In an era of strong antibiotic use, this clinical trial yielded highly encouraging data showing that it is possible to use antibiotics and safely avoid their deleterious effects on the gut microbiome.

In a randomized, controlled clinical trial performed in 44 healthy human volunteers, DAV132 was used in association with moxifloxacin, a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic. It was demonstrated that DAV132 is able to effectively capture residual antibiotics in the colon and reduce their concentration to very low levels. DAV132 reduced exposure of the intestinal microbiota to moxifloxacin by 99%. Meanwhile the plasma concentration of the antibiotic was essentially unaffected by the co-administration DAV132, meaning that its therapeutic efficacy will be maintained.

The ability of DAV132 to protect the intestinal microbiome was explored by identifying changes in bacterial gene richness as well as a detailed statistical analysis of the evolution of bacterial species throughout the study. In volunteers who received moxifloxacin alone, gene richness was drastically diminished to 54.6% of baseline after antibiotic treatment and failed to return to baseline even one month after treatment; 39% of bacterial species identified in the intestinal microbiota were affected. The co-administration of DAV132 with moxifloxacin largely protected the intestinal microbiome from disruption (97.8% of baseline for bacterial gene richness, and 93% of bacterial species protected).

The primary endpoints for the study were fully achieved and DAV132 showed an excellent tolerability profile.

Annie Ducher MD, Chief Medical Officer of Da Volterra, declared: “This clinical study is indicative of the potential of DAV132 to become one of the first preventative solutions to protect the intestinal microbiome and further avoid the detrimental consequences of antibiotic treatments, such as Clostridium difficile infections, for patients. We look forward to advancing the development of DAV132 in a pivotal patient study in 2018.”

Jean de Gunzburg PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Da Volterra, added: “This study constitutes the first scientific demonstration of the protection of the intestinal microbiome from dysbiosis caused by a fluoroquinolone antibiotic treatment; our data suggests that this effect should be extendable to many different antibiotics from several therapeutic classes. The metagenomics analysis is outstanding and thoroughly convincing that DAV132 is highly effective at protecting the commensal bacteria in the intestines.”

The results are available under the reference: Gunzburg et al. Protection of the human gut microbiome from antibiotics. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, jix604, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix604.

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About DAV132:

With a novel and unique mechanism of action, DAV132 is a product candidate aiming to protect the intestinal microbiome from the side effects of antibiotics, hence preventing the onset of C. difficile infections. DAV132 is an adsorbent with a proprietary coating with colon targeted delivery. DAV132 has been tested in four Phase 1 clinical studies with no adverse safety events. DAV132 is currently entering a Phase 2 clinical trial.

About Da Volterra:

Da Volterra is a biopharmaceutical company based in France that develops new strategies aimed at protecting the intestinal microbiome from the deleterious effects of antibiotics, and preventing multi-resistant and life-threatening infections. Da Volterra’s innovative approaches promise a substantial medical progress to combat deadly pathogens. http://www.davolterra.com