Ilya Pharma publishes data on potent bacterial killing effect by ILP100 on totally resistant bacterial pathogens from Ukrainian war victims

Uppsala, April 1, 2025: Ilya Pharma (the Company), a clinical stage immunotherapy company today announced that new data showing potent bacterial killing effect by its drug candidate ILP100 (emilimogene sigulatibac) on totally resistant and multidrug resistant pathogenic bacteria isolated from victims of war in Ukraine. The efficacy of clinical doses reported is approximately double that of traditional antibiotics evaluated using EUCAST standardized methods. Traditional antibiotics rely on diffusion from the blood to the tissue and site of infection. ILP100 is instead applied directly to the site and can also favorably be used in combination with some of the available antibiotics potentiating its bacterial killing effects.

The rise and spread of antibiotic resistance pose a global threat, further exacerbated by geopolitical conflicts. Professor and Chief Medical Officer Kristian Riesbeck Lund University, published new data from December 2024 of pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Ukraine being hypervirulent and retaining pathogenicity, highlighting the need to prevent disseminated spread. The Company have reported clean safety profile and 10 days accelerated healing of skin wounds by ILP100 from a double blinded, randomized controlled first in human study of the ILP100 used in a topical formulation.

About antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multi drug resistant (MDR) infections: The rise and spread of antibiotic resistance poses a global threat, directly and indirectly contributing to millions of deaths globally. For patients with injured or inflamed body barriers such as skin wounds, colitis or infections in the lung or urinary tract this means an increased risk i.e. to health acquiring sepsis.

”After showing the clinical benefits of accelerated healing, the primary effect, and learning first hand the clinical reality of use of antibiotics in patients, even in Sweden, we have been focused to understand the medical need and potential for ILP100 treating sites with pan- and multi drug resistant bacterial pathogens. The team have been working in stealth mode for two years, there is a patent pending, we are now looking for partners in this field to validate the findings in the most relevant patients” says Evelina Vågesjö, CEO.

Ilya Pharma’s mission is to develop local-acting immunotherapies and fighting disease by instructions to immune cells and killing of multi drug resistant pathogens. Limosilactobacillus reuteri genetically modified to produce human CXCL12 (ILP100) has previously been shown to accelerate wound healing in a double blinded placebo controlled clinical trial. Limosilactobacillus reuteri genetically modified to produce human CXCL17 (ILP101) is being explored for lung indications. Both ILP100 and ILP101 has potent bacterial killing effects against MDR pathogens, suggesting ILP-drug candidates with the dual actions as important therapeutic alternative for eradication of MDR infections and restoring of the damaged tissue.

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