SAN
DIEGO, December 16, 2019 – Qpex Biopharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical
company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative
anti-infective therapies, today announced that the Biomedical Advanced
Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised its first
agreement option, which will support advancing multiple programs into
clinical studies. The option is for $20 million and is the second award
under the company’s Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement for up
to $132 million to develop a portfolio of antibiotics to address
drug-resistant infections.
“We
are grateful for our successful and longstanding partnership with
BARDA, whose commitment to address the global and growing threat of
antimicrobial resistance has been unparalleled,” said Michael Dudley,
Pharm.D., President and CEO of Qpex Biopharma. “Our team has made rapid
progress since forming the company just over a year ago, and the
continued support from BARDA puts us in a strong position as we
transition to a clinical-stage company.”
The
BARDA agreement funds development of Qpex’s portfolio of products to
comprehensively address patient needs associated with drug-resistant
gram-negative infections:
ORAvanceTM:
an orally-administered, beta-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) based product to
treat infections that occur in the outpatient and community setting
caused by drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, including
extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing
Enterobacteriaceae
OMNIvanceTM: an IV-administered BLI-based product with best-in-class coverage of key pathogens, including carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas
QPX9003: a next-generation IV-administered polymyxin with an enhanced therapeutic profile designed to address highly drug-resistant infections caused by Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter.
OMNIvance
and ORAvance use Qpex’s novel ultra-broad-spectrum BLI QPX7728 that
inhibits both serine and metallo beta-lactamases, and restores the
activity of multiple IV and oral beta-lactam antibiotics against many
drug-resistant gram-negative pathogens.
In
November 2019, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated figures on
antibiotic resistance in the U.S., estimating that over 2.8 million
antibiotic-resistant infections occur every year in the U.S. (nearly
twice as many as previously reported in 2013). Among the most serious
and difficult to treat infections are those caused by drug-resistant
gram-negative bacteria, which are targeted by the Qpex-BARDA portfolio
and considered by the CDC to be serious-to-urgent resistance threats.
These include ESBL-producing bacteria which are widespread in the
community as well as hospital settings, and carbapenem-resistant strains
of Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas.
About Qpex Biopharma
Qpex Biopharma (www.qpexbio.com) is a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of best-in-class agents addressing critical needs for treatment of infectious diseases in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Qpex was launched in 2018 with investments from New Enterprise Associates, Adams Street Partners, LYZZ Capital, Hatteras Venture Partners and Stanford University Draper Fund. The company’s scientists and clinicians have a record of deep expertise in the discovery and development of anti-infective agents, and an extensive record of working with public-private partnerships, including partnerships with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) that led to the first approved antimicrobial drug product under that program in 2017.