Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Reports 2018 Financial Results

Pharmaceutical Investing

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:DFFN) has announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018. As quoted in the press release: 2018 was marked by significant developments related to the Company’s lead drug candidate, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), for the treatment of stroke and cancer. During the third quarter Diffusion received approval from the U.S. …

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:DFFN) has announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018.

As quoted in the press release:

2018 was marked by significant developments related to the Company’s lead drug candidate, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), for the treatment of stroke and cancer. During the third quarter Diffusion received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enroll patients in an ambulance-based Phase 2 clinical trial testing TSC for the treatment of acute stroke, while the in-ambulance trial design was presented at several important medical conferences. The trial, named PHAST-TSC (Pre-Hospital Administration of Stroke Therapy-TSC), will involve 23 hospitals across urban, suburban and rural areas in Los Angeles County and Central Virginia, working closely with approximately 150 emergency medical transport groups. PHAST-TSC will be led by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Virginia (UVA). Diffusion is working to engage local ambulance companies and expects the first patients to be treated in the coming months. Results for the trial will potentially be available in just under two years, subject to Diffusion receiving the necessary funding.
The Company continues to screen and enroll patients in its Phase 3 INTACT (INvestigation of TSC Against Cancerous Tumors) program, using TSC to treat inoperable glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer. In Phase 2 testing TSC demonstrated a nearly four-fold improvement in overall survival at two years for the subset of inoperable GBM patients compared with the control group of GBM patients.
Commenting on 2018 and plans for 2019, David Kalergis, chairman and chief executive officer of Diffusion, said, “In the coming weeks we expect to complete enrollment in the initial dose-escalation cohort of the INTACT trial. In addition, we expect to begin enrollment in PHAST-TSC during the second quarter of 2019. We continue to be excited about the potential for TSC to bring new hope to patients with life-threatening unmet medical needs and making TSC a commercial success.