Biota Commences Dosing in Phase II Trial of Antiviral Therapy


Biota Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase II double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of BTA074 5% gel in male and female patients with condyloma, or anogenital warts, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 & 11.

“We are excited to progress BTA074 into a well-powered proof-of-concept study. The currently approved topical treatments for condyloma lack consistent efficacy and cause a considerable amount of undesirable local skin reactions, such as erosions and edema, often leading to the need to stop treatment. With this larger Phase II study, we hope to further validate the clinical activity of BTA074 seen in its earlier Phase II trial, which showed evidence of overall clearance and a benign side effect profile,” said Joseph M. Patti, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer at Biota. “We now have three direct-acting antiviral programs in the clinic, each of which has the potential to help patients by attacking the root cause of their viral infections.”

BTA074 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the interaction between two viral proteins from HPV6 and HPV11, and is designed to prevent HPV DNA replication. The Phase II trial is expected to enroll approximately 210 patients with anogenital warts and will have a 2 to 1 randomization of BTA074 5% gel to placebo gel. The patients will be dosed twice daily for up to 16 weeks. The primary efficacy objective is to determine the complete clearance rate for baseline anogenital warts from the commencement of therapy to the end of the treatment period. Secondary efficacy endpoints include various assessments of clearance and wart area reduction for both baseline warts and post-baseline emergent warts.

Condyloma infections from human papillomavirus (HPV) represent the most frequent viral sexually transmitted disease in adults worldwide. In the United States, approximately 1% to 2% of sexually active adults between the ages of 15 to 49 develop condyloma as the primary clinical manifestation of HPV infection. Currently available treatments for anogenital warts typically are divided into two categories, ablative/destructive therapies and topical therapies. Existing topical therapies are associated with significant mucosal toxicities manifesting as erosions and ulcerations, which can result in therapy discontinuation. Ablative options can be painful and scarring, and can lead to sexual dysfunction. Another significant limitation with current therapies is a high incidence of recurrence after successful primary treatment.

Biota Pharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery and development of direct-acting antivirals to treat infections that have limited therapeutic options and affect a significant number of patients globally. The company has three product candidates in active clinical development. These include vapendavir, an oral treatment for human rhinovirus infections in moderate-to-severe asthmatics, currently being evaluated in the company’s ongoing Phase IIb SPIRITUS trial; BTA585, an oral fusion protein inhibitor in Phase I development for the treatment and prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections; and BTA074, a topical antiviral treatment in Phase II development for condyloma caused by human papillomavirus types 6 & 11. For more information, visit www.biotapharma.com.