LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 25,
2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Debiopharm, in collaboration with
CARB-X, will utilize their state-of-the-art Fabiotics platform to
develop novel therapeutics to combat drug-resistant gonorrhea.
Debiopharm International SA (Debiopharm -
http://www.debiopharm.com), part of
Debiopharm Group™, a Swiss-based global
biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has been
selected to receive a funding award from the Combating
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator
(CARB-X) to advance the development of its antibiotic
Debio 1453, a FabI inhibitor specifically targeting N.
gonorrhoeae.
Debio 1453 inhibits bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, an
essential pathway in major pathogens including Neisseria
gonorrhoeae, the causative bacterium in the sexually transmitted
disease gonorrhea. N. gonorrhoeae has acquired resistance to
practically all classes of antibiotics (CDC report) which
presents a major global medical problem.
Debiopharm has prototype compounds which target the FabI enzyme
in N. gonorrhoeae. The objective of this program is to optimize the
prototype molecules by synthesizing new compounds to improve their
drug-like characteristics including anti-bacterial activity,
absorption, distribution, metabolism, efficacy and toxicity.
At the end of the project, the goal is to select a candidate
which meets a commercial target product profile and that is ready
for further testing in preparation for human clinical trials for
uncomplicated gonorrhea caused by susceptible and drug-resistant N.
gonorrhoeae.
"Growing antibiotic resistance is a worldwide health issue",
explains Nigel McCraken, Vice
President, Translational Medicine of
Debiopharm International SA. "CARB-X grant highlights the
need to develop narrow-spectrum innovative antibiotics that spare
the microbiome and reduce the potential for cross resistance. We
are really excited to move forward with the development of
Debio 1453".
"We are grateful to CARB-X for their recognition of Debiopharm's
pioneering narrow-spectrum gonorrhoea program", said Bertrand
Ducrey, CEO of Debiopharm International SA. "In addition to
financial support, CARB-X also brings a strong network of
subject-matter expertise in infectious disease which will be the
key to winning the war against antimicrobial resistance".
Kevin Outterson, Executive
Director of CARB-X and Professor of Law at Boston University said: "Drug-resistant infections
are complex and developing new antibiotics challenging, timely and
costly. But restoring the R&D pipeline is vital to address the
seriously increasing threat of superbugs which have become
resistant to existing drugs. This is a global problem and CARB-X is
a critical part of the global solution. We are looking to support
the best potential new treatments and diagnostics across the world.
We are especially pleased that today's awards mean we are now
supporting scientists in 6 countries. The projects offer exciting
potential. But we need greater global support from governments,
industry and civil society to get the new treatments the world
urgently needs."
Debiopharm will receive a total of up to $2.6 million of funding over 15 months from
CARB-X. Based on defined milestones, CARB-X will then have the
option of further extending the program, at Debiopharm, for an
additional 9 months at a cost of up to $1.4
million.
About CARB-X
CARB-X is the world's largest public-private partnership devoted
to early stage antibacterial R&D. Funded by BARDA and Wellcome
Trust, with in-kind support from NIAID, we will spend up to
$455 million from 2017-2021 to
support innovative products from 'hit-to-lead' stage through to
Phase 1 clinical trials. CARB-X focuses on high priority
drug-resistant bacteria, especially Gram-negatives. CARB-X is a
charitable global public-private partnership led by Boston University. Other partners include the Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, MassBio, the California Life Sciences
Institute and RTI International. For more information, please visit
http://www.carb-x.org and follow us on Twitter @CARB_X.
About
Debiopharm International SA
Part of Debiopharm Group™ - a Swiss-headquartered global
biopharmaceutical group including five companies active in the life
science areas of drug development, GMP manufacturing of proprietary
drugs, diagnostic tools and investment management - Debiopharm
International SA is focused on the development of prescription
drugs that target unmet medical needs. The company in-licenses and
develops promising drug candidates. The products are commercialized
by pharmaceutical out-licensing partners to give access to the
largest number of patients worldwide.
For more information, please visit http://www.debiopharm.com
We are on Twitter. Follow us @DebiopharmNews at
http://twitter.com/DebiopharmNews
Debiopharm International SA Contact
Christelle Tur
Communication Coordinator
christelle.tur@debiopharm.com
Tel: +41(0)21-321-01-11
Wellcome Trust Contact
Maggie Stratton
Media Manager
M.Stratton@wellcome.ac.uk
Tel. : +44(0)20-7611-8609
M. : +44(0)7872112656
Jennifer Robinson
jcrobinson119@icloud.com
Tel. : +1-514-914-8974