Chimerix Presents New Research on Hospital Readmission Rates in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients

Opportunistic Infections Caused by dsDNA Viruses Occur Early in the Post-Transplant Period and Support Need for Preventive Therapies


DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chimerix, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMRX), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, oral antivirals in areas of high unmet medical need, presented findings from a new study that show hospital readmissions related to opportunistic infections are common among patients following autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT), also known as bone marrow or stem cell transplant. The study showed that of hospital readmissions related to opportunistic infections (25.8 percent of all readmissions), approximately 1 in 3 readmissions were due to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viral infections. Among dsDNA viral infections diagnosed after hospital discharge, almost half occurred within the first month after discharge. The study also showed that the majority of hospital readmissions among HCT recipients were major or extreme in severity. These data were presented during the 55th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Diego.

"This is the first in a series of research studies we will be presenting that highlight the incidence and impact of dsDNA viruses in HCT and kidney transplant populations, as well as the associated healthcare costs of viral reactivation and hospital readmissions," said W. Garrett Nichols, M.D., M.S., Chief Medical Officer of Chimerix. "These data emphasize how fragile patients are following HCT, and the limitations of current treatments for dsDNA viruses. Because data show that these infections typically happen during the transplant hospitalization or soon after patients are discharged, medicines that may prevent viral reactivation and resulting hospital readmissions could play a critical role in the treatment of HCT patients and may potentially reduce the economic burden to the patient, their families and the healthcare system."

This study evaluated data from 2009-2013 in the Premier Hospital Database based on documented ICD-9-CM codes in the health records.

Hospital readmissions due to dsDNA viral infections included cytomegalovirus (CMV) (65.9 percent), BK virus (13.8 percent), adenovirus (5.2 percent), and other dsDNA viral infections (32.7 percent). Patients may have experienced more than one viral infection, thus the number of hospital readmissions related to each dsDNA virus was not mutually exclusive.

Additional causes for readmission included graft-versus-host disease (13.7 percent), renal impairment (11.1 percent) and neutropenia (10.0 percent).  

About Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

More than 70,000 hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT, or bone marrow transplants) are performed each year worldwide, most frequently to treat patients with certain cancers of the blood and bone marrow, or to address genetic diseases. Due to chemotherapy and the immune suppression associated with HCT, patients are highly susceptible to viral, bacterial and fungal infections. These complications are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the months following the transplant, and too often the high risk of infection in the first year after transplant results in patients and their families deciding not to undergo a potentially curative transplant.

About Chimerix

Chimerix is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing novel, oral antivirals in areas of high unmet medical need. Chimerix's proprietary lipid conjugate technology has produced brincidofovir (CMX001), a clinical-stage nucleotide analog, CMX157 which was licensed to ContraVir Pharmaceuticals in 2014, and early clinical candidates including CMX669. For further information, please visit Chimerix's website, www.chimerix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the possibility that the FDA and other regulatory authorities may not approve brincidofovir or brincidofovir-based regimens in the currently anticipated timelines or at all, and marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use. As a result, brincidofovir may never be successfully commercialized. In addition, Chimerix may be unable to file for regulatory approval for brincidofovir with other regulatory authorities in the currently anticipated timelines. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks are described in detail in Chimerix's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Chimerix, and Chimerix assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.



            

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