The global pharmaceutical firm Sanofi has agreed to jointly develop new antibiotic technology with the biotechnology company Rib-X Pharmaceuticals in New Haven, Connecticut. The agreement includes an option for Sanofi to license the technology from Rib-X that treats resistant pathogens.
Rib-X’s RX-04 program is developing new types of antibiotics aimed at drug-resistant pathogens, which the company says has been shown effective in animal models. RX-04 targets bacterial ribosomes, an internal cell component that synthesizes proteins from amino acids and RNA. Rib-X says recent data confirm that this approach directly impacts ribosome functions by interfering with protein synthesis.
Under the agreement, Rib-X will receive $10 million in an upfront payment, as well as up to an additional $9 million in near-term research-based milestones. The company will also be eligible for further payments for the achievement of research, preclinical, regulatory and commercial milestones. The agreement could result in up to $86 million in development and regulatory milestones, with commercial milestones exceeding $100 million.
Sanofi will be able to develop multiple products under this agreement. Except for those assets licensed to Sanofi through the agreement, Rib-X retains its rights to the platform that developed its technology and its future programs. Rib-X retains a co-promotion option in the United States on one of the molecules coming from the collaboration.
The Centers for Disease Control notes that people infected with drug-resistant organisms are more likely to have longer and more expensive hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of the infection. When the drug of choice for treating their infection fails to work, they require treatment with second- or third-choice drugs that may be less effective, more toxic, and more expensive.
Read more: Sanofi, Glenmark Sign Autoimmune Antibody License Deal
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