60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals Plans January 2027 Hospitalized Babesiosis Data Readout; Will Seek Pre-sNDA Meeting with FDA
Enrollment will stop below the safety monitoring board’s recommended total, while a possible accelerated approval pathway remains subject to FDA review.
Sentiment and the balance of points
Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.
Rhea-AI Summary
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals (SXTP) plans to end enrollment in its severe babesiosis trial at 30 patients and report results in January 2027. The blinded, randomized trial compares tafenoquine plus standard care with placebo plus standard care. Following its October 1 interim review, the independent safety monitoring board recommended completing the planned enrollment of 33 patients; no safety issues were identified. The company gives limited added statistical power and a potential delay until fall 2027 as reasons for stopping enrollment. Endpoint results remain undetermined.
Separately, molecular cure was confirmed in the first three expanded-access patients receiving tafenoquine with atovaquone-containing regimens for relapsing, treatment-refractory babesiosis. Final screening data from two more patients are expected in early November 2026. The company plans to request an FDA meeting in January 2027 about a supplemental approval application and a possible accelerated approval pathway.
How this balance works
Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.
It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.
Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.
Hollow bars mark forward-looking points. How the balance works
Positive
- Minor pointInterim safety review identified no safety issues in the severe babesiosis study.
- Minor pointExpanded-access treatment confirmed molecular cure in the first three patients with relapsing, treatment-refractory babesiosis.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Severe babesiosis trial primary and secondary endpoint results are expected in January 2027.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Expanded-access final screening data from two additional patients are expected in early November 2026.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.FDA meeting request is planned for January 2027 to discuss supplemental approval requirements.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Company sees a possible approval pathway based on treatment-refractory case reports, irrespective of severe-trial results.
Negative
- Moderate point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Planned enrollment ends at 30 patients, below the monitoring board’s recommended 33.
- Minor pointSevere babesiosis study remains blinded; the monitoring board’s recommendation does not establish endpoint success.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Possible accelerated approval pathway and submission adequacy remain subject to FDA review.
Details
Market move: SXTP -24.31% vs previous close. January 2027 babesiosis readout
On Oct 6, the day this news came out, the latest delayed price for SXTP is 24.31% below the previous close. Our momentum scanner has recorded 57 alerts for this stock so far that day. The latest delayed price is $1.09. Relative volume is exceptionally heavy at 1461.6x the average.
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Key Figures
- Enrolled patients
- 30 patients
- As of October 1, 2026, in the severe babesiosis study
- Originally planned enrollment
- 33 patients
- DSMB recommendation after interim analysis
- Endpoint results
- January 2027
- Primary and secondary endpoint results expected after unblinding and final analysis
- Pre-sNDA meeting request
- January 2027
- Company plans to request a meeting with FDA
Historical Context
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Scheduled an October 6 interim data release for the hospitalized babesiosis study.
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Reported 24-patient minimum enrollment to trigger interim analysis in the same trial.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
dsmb technical
snda regulatory
double-blind technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
- After a scheduled interim analysis of the severe babesiosis study on October 1, 2026, the DSMB recommended completing the study with the originally planned number of patients (N=33); the study remains blinded
- As of the same date, the Company had enrolled 30 patients
- Given the limited incremental statistical power from enrolling three additional patients and the seasonal nature of babesiosis, which would otherwise delay unblinding until fall 2027, the Company has decided to conclude enrollment and proceed with unblinding. Primary and secondary endpoint results are expected in January 2027
- No safety signals were identified in the study
- Published case reports and the Company’s prospective expanded access study support the potential of tafenoquine-containing regimens in treatment-refractory, relapsing babesiosis, and additional data will be disclosed from this study in early November 2026
- Company sees a viable regulatory pathway for severe and/or treatment-refractory disease and will request a pre-sNDA meeting with FDA in January 2027 to discuss data requirements, patient population, regulatory pathway, and post-marketing requirements
WASHINGTON, Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (“60 Degrees” or the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes new medicines for vector-borne disease, today announced that it intends to conclude enrollment in its randomized clinical study of tafenoquine in patients hospitalized with severe babesiosis at 30 subjects. The Company plans to unblind the study and report its primary and secondary endpoint results in January 2027, and to submit a request for a pre- supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that same month.
60 Degrees is the sponsor of the double-blind, randomized, multisite, placebo-controlled clinical trial entitled “Oral Tafenoquine Plus Standard of Care Versus Placebo Plus Standard of Care for Babesiosis” (NCT06207370), which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of tafenoquine in treating severe babesiosis in humans. Patients were enrolled at multiple sites in the U.S., including Tufts Medical Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Yale University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Westchester Medical Center.
The DSMB conducted an interim analysis of time to sustained clinical resolution of babesiosis, the study’s primary endpoint, and time to molecular clearance of Babesia parasites, a key secondary endpoint. Following its review, the DSMB recommended completing the initially planned enrollment of 33 patients. As of October 1, 2026, the Company had enrolled 30 subjects. Due to the marginal impact an additional three subjects would have on power to detect a difference on the study endpoints and the seasonality of babesiosis and its potential to delay unblinding by a year if additional subjects were to be recruited, the Company intends to proceed with final analysis of the enrolled population. The DSMB’s recommendation does not establish whether the study met its endpoints; those results will be determined following unblinding and final analysis. The DSMB analysis did not identify any safety issues.
A growing body of published case reports suggests that tafenoquine, administered in combination with atovaquone-containing regimens for at least eight weeks, may achieve a high cure rate in high-risk patients with treatment-refractory, relapsing babesiosis. Consistent with these reports, the Company has confirmed molecular cure, using a highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification test (NAT), in the first three patients enrolled in its expanded access study of tafenoquine combined with atovaquone-containing regimens in relapsing, treatment-refractory babesiosis (“Expanded Use in Persistent B. Microti Babesiosis” — NCT06478641). Final screening data from two additional patients are expected in early November 2026. Irrespective of the ultimate results of the severe babesiosis study to be reported in January, the Company believes an approval pathway based on case reports in the treatment-refractory population is possible.
The Company intends to request a pre-sNDA meeting with FDA to discuss the clinical evidence and data requirements for an sNDA submission for tafenoquine treatment of babesiosis. Should the data package be supported by literature and expanded access cases only, the Company plans to ask FDA to consider NAT-based molecular clearance as a surrogate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, potentially supporting an accelerated approval pathway. The Company would also propose a post-approval confirmatory study in an appropriate patient population. The availability of an accelerated approval pathway and the adequacy of the submission will be subject to FDA review.
No FDA-approved treatment or vaccine exists for human babesiosis. While tafenoquine is approved for the prevention of malaria, it is not currently approved by FDA for the treatment or prevention of babesiosis.
About Babesiosis
Babesiosis is a tick-borne illness caused by Babesia parasites that develop and multiply in red blood cells. It is often found as a co-infection of Lyme disease. Symptoms include fevers, chills, sweats, and fatigue. In severely immunocompromised patients, standard antimicrobial regimens can fail to clear infection, resulting in relapsing disease that may persist for months or years and has been associated with the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant Babesia strains. Incidence of babesiosis is rapidly rising, particularly in the Northeast, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that emergency room visits for tick bites are currently at historically high levels in many regions of the U.S.
About 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc., founded in 2010, develops and commercializes new medicines for the treatment and prevention of vector-borne disease. The Company won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of its lead product, ARAKODA® (tafenoquine), for malaria prevention in 2018 and currently has 3 active clinical trials underway for babesiosis, an emerging tick-borne disease. ARAKODA is sold commercially in the U.S. and Australia. 60 Degrees also collaborates with prominent research and academic organizations in the U.S. and Australia to advance science around vector-borne disease. The Company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a subsidiary in Australia. Learn more at www.60degreespharma.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward‐looking statements reflect the current view about future events. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward‐looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, activities of regulators and future regulations and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: there is substantial doubt as to our ability to continue on a going-concern basis; we might not be eligible for Australian government research and development tax rebates; if we are not able to successfully develop, obtain FDA approval for, and provide for the commercialization of non-malaria prevention indications for tafenoquine (ARAKODA® or other regimen) or Celgosivir in a timely manner, we may not be able to expand our business operations; we may not be able to successfully conduct planned clinical trials; and we have no manufacturing capacity which puts us at risk of lengthy and costly delays of bringing our products to market. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2026, and our subsequent SEC filings. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. As a result of these matters, changes in facts, assumptions not being realized, or other circumstances, the Company’s actual results may differ materially from the expected results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Media Contact:
Kristen Landon kristenlandon@60degreespharma.com
Investor Contact:
Patrick Gaynes patrickgaynes@60degreespharma.com
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
When will 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals report its severe babesiosis trial results?
Primary and secondary endpoint results are expected in January 2027, following unblinding and final analysis of the enrolled population.
What did 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals find in its expanded-access babesiosis study?
Molecular cure was confirmed in the first three patients receiving tafenoquine combined with atovaquone-containing regimens for relapsing, treatment-refractory babesiosis. Cure was confirmed using a highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification test. Final screening data from two additional patients are expected in early November 2026.
What endpoints is 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals measuring in its severe babesiosis trial?
The primary endpoint is time to sustained clinical resolution of babesiosis, and a key secondary endpoint is time to molecular clearance of Babesia parasites. The trial compares oral tafenoquine plus standard care with placebo plus standard care.
How could 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals pursue accelerated approval for babesiosis?
If the data package is supported only by literature and expanded-access cases, the company plans to ask FDA to consider test-based molecular clearance as a surrogate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. It would also propose a post-approval confirmatory study in an appropriate patient population. The pathway’s availability and submission adequacy remain subject to FDA review.