Business
Enrollment in 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals Clinical Trial of Tafenoquine for Babesiosis to Begin at Tufts Medical Center; First Study of Its Kind
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals has entered an agreement with Tufts Medical Center to conduct a clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of
About this update from 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals has entered an agreement with Tufts Medical Center to conduct a clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of tafenoquine for the treatment of babesiosis in humansThe study will be the world’s first clinical trial to evaluate tafenoquine in human babesiosis patientsEnrollment will begin after a site initiation visit in Boston on June 13, 2024Agreements are being negotiated with two other prominent university hospitals to expand recruitment in the Northeast U.S. where the incidence of babesiosis has been increasing; babesiosis, a tick-borne and potentially life-threatening illness, is an orphan diseaseCase studies in the medical literature suggest that tafenoquine may be a promising alternative for the treatment of some patients hospitalized with relapsing babesiosis WASHINGTON, May 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for infectious diseases, announced today it has entered into an agreement with Tufts Medical Center in Boston to conduct the world's first clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of tafenoquine in treating human babesiosis patients. Recruitment of at least 24 hospitalized patients diagnosed with babesiosis will begin after a site initiation visit at Tufts Medical Center on June 13, 2024. Babesiosis is a steadily emerging, infectious disease transmitted by a microscopic parasite, Babesia, through the bite of the black-legged (deer) tick, the vector that spreads Lyme disease. Babesiosis, an orphan disease, may be life-threatening in elderly and immunosuppressed patients. Up to 10 percent of Lyme disease patients may be coinfected with Babesia. Therefore, up to 47,600 of the estimated 476,000 patients with new Lyme infections each year may be coinfected with Babesia. “With tick-borne illnesses on the rise in the U.S., babesiosis is rapidly emerging as a condition of serious clinical concern,” said Dr. Geoff Dow, chief executive officer at 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals. “The literature suggests tafenoquine may be a promising alternative for the treatment of patients hospitalized with relapsing babesiosis, so we are pleased to partner with Tufts Medical Center to conduct the first clinical trial of tafenoquine in treating hospitalized babesiosis pat...