Pherecydes Pharma, a biotechnology company specializing in precision phage therapy to treat resistant and/or complicated bacterial infections, today announces the registration of its phagogram as an in vitro diagnostic test (“Phagogram 1.5”) in accordance with Directive 98/79/EC.
The phagogram is an in vitro diagnostic test to verify the sensitivity of patients’ bacterial strains to Pherecydes Pharma’s phages. Hence only active phages are administered, increasing phage therapy’s chances of success. Pherecydes Pharma is developing its phagogram for three target bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These bacteria, which are the most resistant and dangerous according to the World Health Organization (WHO), alone account for more than two thirds of hospital-acquired resistant infections in industrialized countries1.
The EC registration of the Phagogram 1.5 was made possible by the setting up of a new specialized laboratory in Nantes; this new laboratory initially ensured the development and validation of the in vitro diagnostic test following a very stringent process from a technical, quality and regulatory perspective. It is now responsible for carrying out phagograms for patients enrolled in our clinical studies and patients undergoing compassionate treatment.
The Phagogram 1.5 program is the first stage in a broader strategic program whose goal is to develop a new generation phagogram, “Phagogram 2.0”, in collaboration with the CEA (cf. Pherecydes Pharma press release of January 3, 2022). This program aims to significantly shorten the leadtime required for a diagnosis and thus offer phage therapy in all types of indications, whether acute or chronic.
“I would like to congratulate all the Pherecydes Pharma teams for the efforts they have devoted to this pivotal mission for our Company”, stated Didier Hoch, Chairman and CEO of Pherecydes Pharma. “Indeed, the phagogram is a fully fledged project within Pherecydes Pharma, and this registration represents a milestone on the road to developing the new generation phagogram that will be a differentiating asset in the increasingly dynamic and attractive field of phage therapy.”
1 Opatowski M – Hospitalisations with infections related to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria from the French nationwide hospital discharge database, 2016