Osteal Therapeutics Closes $5-M Financing to Support Approval & Commercial Launch of Lead Candidate

Osteal Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced the completion of an oversubscribed $50-million Series D preferred stock equity financing. Zimmer Biomet led the round, joined by returning investors Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., Gideon Strategic Partners, and HM Capital. In conjunction with the financing, a representative of Zimmer Biomet will join Osteal’s Board of Directors.

The proceeds of the financing will be used to advance the development of Osteal’s portfolio of therapies, including the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for, and accelerated commercial launch of, VT-X7 for the treatment of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of the hip and knee. VT-X7 has been the subject of two multicenter, randomized, controlled trials, APEX and APEX-2. APEX-2 recently met its primary endpoint and will be completed in late 2024. The study builds upon the safety and efficacy evidence obtained from APEX, a similarly designed clinical study that successfully met its primary endpoint in 2023. Both studies were designed in close consultation with the FDA, which previously granted VT-X7 Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Qualified Infectious Disease Product designations. The company expects to seek FDA approval upon completion of APEX-2.

“This round of financing represents an inflection point in the company’s progress towards introducing VT-X7 to the market,” said David Thompson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “From the beginning, Osteal has been extremely fortunate to have the support of a world-class group of financial and strategic partners who share our vision and recognize the tremendous impact our programs will have on patient care. I am delighted to welcome Zimmer Biomet as a partner and look forward to working closely with their exemplary team.”

Affecting over 40,000 people in the US annually, PJI is a rare and potentially devastating complication of joint replacement surgery in which pathogenic bacteria colonize the joint prosthesis, forming difficult-to-remove structures called biofilms. Biofilm infections are challenging to resolve, requiring long, invasive and expensive treatments that are often unsuccessful, resulting in high rates of permanent disability and early death. Recent retrospective analyses demonstrate that the current gold standard for treatment of PJI, two-stage exchange arthroplasty, takes an average of 16 weeks and has a success rate under 50% after 12 months, highlighting the unmet need for faster and more efficacious treatment options.

VT-X7 (vancomycin hydrochloride and tobramycin sulfate for irrigation/VT-X7 irrigation system) is a novel drug/device combination product designed to deliver therapeutic concentrations of vancomycin and tobramycin, well-established, broad-spectrum antibiotics, directly to the joint space and surrounding tissue to treat PJI. VT-X7 is a seven-day therapy designed to address the unmet clinical need for a rapid, reliable treatment for these challenging infections. In clinical studies of VT-X7, 100% of patients were treated and received a new permanent joint prosthesis in seven days with >90% remaining infection-free after one year. The US FDA has granted VT-X7 Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Qualified Infectious Disease Product designations. This initial application of VT-X7 represents a first-of-its-kind, multibillion-dollar opportunity to dramatically improve outcomes for a serious unmet medical need.

Osteal Therapeutics is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel musculoskeletal therapeutics to treat orthopedic infections and their consequences. The company is leveraging the ability of concentrated, locally delivered antimicrobials to treat the bacterial biofilms typically responsible for musculoskeletal infections while minimizing off-target tissue exposure and associated adverse effects. Osteal employs a low-risk development strategy by using approved drugs with long histories of safety and efficacy as candidates for new routes of local delivery. The company’s lead candidate, VT-X7, is in late-stage clinical development to treat periprosthetic joint infections, a serious complication of joint replacement surgery. For more information, visit www.ostealtx.com.