May 19, 2021 01:15 ET | Source: Basilea Pharmaceutica AG
Targeting infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
Basel, Switzerland, May 19, 2021
Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) announced today that it has been awarded a grant of up to USD 2.7 million from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), a global partnership dedicated to supporting the early development of antibacterial products to diagnose, prevent and treat drug-resistant infections. The funding will support an ongoing Basilea research program to develop an antibiotic from a novel class for the treatment of serious infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
The program aims to develop selective small-molecule inhibitors of DXR, an enzyme in the bacterial isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway. This enzyme is essential for the survival of many Gram-negative bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Acinetobacter baumannii as well as multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are listed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as urgent and serious threats, or critical pathogens, against which new antibiotics are urgently needed.
Dr. Laurenz Kellenberger, Chief Scientific Officer, said: “The medical problem of antimicrobial resistance keeps increasing. Therefore, new antibiotics are urgently needed that will be able to address resistance that is growing against current treatment options. We are delighted to be partnering with CARB-X for the development of truly innovative antibiotics directed against this unexploited bacterial target. Basilea remains committed to leverage its proven ability in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel anti-infectives to deliver new treatment options to patients facing bacterial drug-resistance worldwide.”
About Basilea
Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the medical needs of patients with cancer and infectious diseases. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of severe bacterial infections. We are conducting clinical studies with two targeted drug candidates for the treatment of a range of cancers and have a number of preclinical assets in both cancer and infectious diseases in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.
About CARB-X
CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early development antibacterial R&D to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funding is provided by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority(BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Wellcome Trust, a global charity based in the UK working to improve health globally; Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) funded by the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and with in-kind support from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the US Department of Health and Human Services. CARB-X is investing up to USD 480 million from 2016-2022 to support innovative therapeutics, preventives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list. CARB-X is headquartered at Boston University School of Law. https://carb-x.org/. Follow us on Twitter @CARB_X
CARB-X’s funding for this project is sponsored by Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by awards from Wellcome Trust and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of Basilea and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders.
Disclaimer
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as “believe”, “assume”, “expect”, “forecast”, “project”, “may”, “could”, “might”, “will” or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Peer Nils Schröder, PhD
Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Phone +41 61 606 1102
media_relations@basilea.com
investor_relations@basilea.com
This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.