US-based FOB Synthesis and AstraZeneca have entered into a research and development option and license agreement for the development of a novel antibiotic for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections.
The new antibiotics will potentially combine compounds from AstraZeneca's preclinical beta lactamase inhibitor (BLI) and FOB's preclinical carbapenem antibiotic programmes to help break down bacteria's resistance to the latter.
As part of the deal, AstraZeneca will develop combinations of compounds through Phase I and will be responsible for development and commercialization through the option phase and therafter if it decides to excercise its options.
Both the firms have not disclosed the financial details of the license agreement.
FOB Synthesis chief executive officer Woo-Baeg Choi said, "We are pleased with further development of our carbapenem antibiotics in combination of AstraZeneca's BLI program, and we are confident with AstraZeneca's expertise in the anti-infective field for the successful development of this combination therapy."
FOB Synthesis was counseled by Lynn Scott, from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton.
Carbapenem antibiotics have been developed and used widely for bacterial infections; however the drug resistance bacteria have reduced the value of antibacterial chemotherapy recently.
Additionally, the carbapenem-resistant (CR) of gram-negative bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have accordingly increased worldwide.
FSI-1671 and FSI-1686, the investigational carbapenem antibiotics developed by FOB Synthesis, will be tested against MDR Gram-negative bacterial infection. Combining a carbapenem with a BLI may allow a novel treatment of the multi-drug resistant bacteria, FOB said.
