LONDON -(Dow Jones)- U.K.-based AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) and U.S. partner Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX) Tuesday said they plan a late-stage clinical trial program to investigate a combination antibiotic against superbug infections. The two drug makers will enter ceftazidime/avibactam into five Phase 3 trials to show the combination is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections and Complicated Urinary Tract Infections. "This combination of a broad-spectrum cephalosporin and a novel beta-lactamase inhibitor has the potential to be effective against bacteria that would otherwise be resistant to antibiotics in patients suffering from serious and potentially life-threatening infections," Marco Taglietti, president of Forest Research Institute, said in a statement. The partners said they aimed to submit ceftazidime/avibactam for regulatory approval in 2014. -By Sten Stovall, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 207 842 9292; sten.stovall@dowjones.com
