Basilea Pharmaceutica announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Spexis AG for a preclinical program of antibiotics from a novel class, targeting Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains.
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The antibiotics were developed within Spexis’ Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA) program and selectively disrupt the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge, an essential structure in Gram-negative bacteria.
This results in a loss of the integrity of the outer cell membrane, intracellular accumulation of lipopolysaccharides and killing of the bacteria.
Activity has been shown in vitro and in vivo against Enterobacteriaceae such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae, including strains resistant to beta-lactams and colistin, an antibiotic regarded as last-resort therapy.
The program was funded in part by CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator).
This underscores the potential of this novel class of antibiotics. CARB-X is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development, to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
Basilea is acquiring all program compounds, know-how and intellectual property and is paying Spexis up to a total of CHF 2 million, which consists of an upfront payment, a payment related to the transfer of the assets to Basilea, and a potential final milestone payment related to the availability of near-term external funding for the further development of the program.
In addition, Basilea assumes the rights and obligations of Spexis, including potential low single-digit percentage royalties on sales, under licensing agreements.
The transaction is subject to the approval by the Western District Court of the Canton Basel-Landschaft.
Infections by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are a major challenge for healthcare professionals.
Due to an additional outer cell membrane compared to Gram-positive bacteria, it is more difficult for antibiotics to get into the cell.
In addition, this outer membrane carries lipopolysaccharides/endotoxins which induce inflammation and play an important amplifying role in the pathogenesis of infections by GNB and are therefore considered an important virulence factor.
Moreover, GNB can acquire resistance to several classes of antibiotics such as carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and earlier-generation cephalosporins, making infections with GNBs particularly difficult to treat.
In 2017, the World Health Organization published a list of 12 classes of priority bacterial pathogens that pose the greatest threat to human health, of which nine classes are Gram-negative. ■