Diffusion Pharmaceuticals to Present at the 2017 BIO Investor Forum

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 10, 2017 -- Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:DFFN) (“Diffusion” or “the Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel small molecule therapeutics for cancer and other hypoxia-related diseases, today announced that management will present a corporate overview at the BIO Investor Forum on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time. The Forum is being held October 17-18, 2017 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. 

To listen to the presentation live, investors may visit the investor relations section of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals website at www.diffusionpharma.com. An archived webcast of the presentation will also be available on the Company’s website for 90 days.

About Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on extending the life expectancy of cancer patients by improving the effectiveness of current standard-of-care (“SOC”) treatments including radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Diffusion is developing its lead product candidate, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), for use in the many cancers where tumor hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) is known to diminish the effectiveness of SOC treatments. TSC targets the cancer's hypoxic micro-environment, re-oxygenating treatment-resistant tissue and making the cancer cells more vulnerable to the therapeutic effects of SOC treatments without the apparent addition of any serious side effects.

A Phase 2 clinical program was completed in the second quarter of 2015 and evaluated 59 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of brain cancer.  This open-label, historically controlled study demonstrated a favorable safety and efficacy profile for TSC combined with SOC, including a 37% improvement in overall survival compared with the control group at two years.  A particularly strong efficacy signal was seen in the subset of inoperable patients where survival of TSC-treated patients at two years was nearly four-fold higher compared with the controls. At an End-Of-Phase 2 Meeting, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided Diffusion with extensive guidance on the design for a Phase 3 trial of TSC in newly diagnosed GBM patients. Assuming FDA sign-off on the final protocol design focusing on inoperable patients, the study is planned to initiate by the end of 2017. Due to its novel mechanism of action, TSC has safely re-oxygenated a range of tumor types in our preclinical and clinical studies.  Diffusion believes its therapeutic potential is not limited to specific tumors, thereby making it potentially useful to improve SOC treatments of other life-threatening cancers.  Additional planned studies include Phase 2 trials in pancreatic cancer and brain metastases, with study initiation subject to receipt of additional funding or collaborative partnering.  The Company also believes that TSC has potential application in other indications involving hypoxia, such as stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and emergency medicine.

Contact:
David Kalergis, CEO
Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(434) 220-0718
[email protected]

or
LHA Investor Relations
Kim Sutton Golodetz
212-838-3777
[email protected]